Ah, the things that could've happened. Par exemple, Katherine Langford could have been cast in Riverdale as none other than Betty herself. Camila Mendes, who plays Veronica on the show, told Entertainment Weekly that she auditioned next to Langford during network testing in January 2016.
"I remember when I met her, too — I never saw her act, but some people just have a personality that’s so genuine that I’m like, ‘I feel like you’re a really good actor,'" Mendes recalled.
Langford did not get the role, but she did go on to nab the main spot in 13 Reasons Why, Netflix's runaway hit. 13 Reasons Why and Riverdale have a sort of cross-pollinating policy, it appears — Ross Butler, who originated the role of Reggie on Riverdale, scooted over to 13 Reasons Why after the first season was so popular. Butler ended up playing a large role in season 2, ironically as a love interest of sorts for Langford, the woman who almost became Betty!
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The teen television word, it turns out, is very small. That, and talented youngsters usually make the casting rounds for years, engaging in a lot of near misses, before they finally hit their mark. Langford, meanwhile, has joined another show: Cursed, another Netflix title, which is take on the mythical story of Lady of the Lake. Mendes, too, will appear in the upcoming film The New Romantics as well as the Noah Centineo-Matt Walsh vehicle The Stand-in. Eventually, maybe, things will come full circle and Langford will get cast as a new recurring character on Riverdale.
Sing it with me now: We're captive in a carousel of liiiiiiiiife...