Aside from being a star on the hit show Riverdale, Cole Sprouse is also an extremely talented photographer. One look through his Instagram and it is clear that he has an eye for it. In a recent interview, Sprouse revealed that he originally delved into the hobby as a way to combat his depression.
YouTuber Duan Mackenzie spoke with Sprouse about his love of photography. The actor confessed he "was sad and in a dark place and [he] turned to a hobby to sort of take [him] out of that."
Sprouse touched on his feelings of paranoia that the world was watching him, and how being able to go on excursions to more secluded areas allowed him to separate himself from those feelings. He was drawn to taking photos which he "used as an outlet, as a way to create and feel better, and it took off."
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To say it took off is a bit of an understatement. He has photographed Sam Smith for the cover of L'uomo Vogue, he shot a gorgeous editorial spread of Kendall Jenner for the Sunday Times, and he captured Sophie Turner for a feature in W Magazine. That's not even counting his numerous shoots with his fellow Riverdale castmates.
If Sprouse ever wanted to leave the world of acting, he could easily have a career as a successful fashion and editorial photographer — though we'll happily watch him as Jughead Jones on Riverdale for quite a while.
Sprouse first mentioned how photography helped him deal with his depression in an Instagram post in January 2016. Alongside a photo he took of model Diana Silvers he wrote:
"It was depression that drove me to do it. That's the real truth. It was depression that led me to the camera. It heals you know, a hobby. There's no Band-Aid like a hobby. I've been destructive, I know that now. I can see that I'm in a desert, and I've been thinking about that oasis when I should've been trying to get out."
Most importantly, Sprouse seems to have found a way to productively combat his depression, and it also became to express himself and be reflective. Throughout the interview he focuses more on the act of creating rather than the gear or what traditionally constitutes "good" photography. He encourages anyone interested to just get out there, camera in hand.