'Riverdale' star Lili Reinhart explains 'cringy' striptease scene

Lili Reinhart as her character Betty Cooper, in the show "Riverdale," talks about her controversial striptease scene in the show.  (The CW )

It’s easily the biggest teen show since "Gossip Girl," but "Riverdale" couldn’t be more different from its predecessors.

But those looking for another soapy drama to get hooked on have come to the right place with "Riverdale" one of the most inventive shows on the small screen right now. 
“I think it is just very over-the-top and 'Riverdale' has created its own world,” show star Lili Reinhart told news.com.au.

“When people watch it it’s so easy to get roped in and immersed inside these characters and the town that they live in.

“We’ve painted this picture so intensely of this world — costumes, hair and makeup, the sets and the way it is shot.”

The series is based on the Archie comics and follows the adventures of teens Archie Andrews, Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper, played by Reinhart.

With a part-comic book and part-film noir feel, "Riverdale" is known for its outlandish storylines and its third season’s delve into the horror genre is no exception.

In a story you couldn’t make up if you tried, Betty and her sleuthing boyfriend Jughead (played by her rumored real-life boyfriend Cole Sprouse) are investigating the suicides of their classmates who have played the Griffins and Gargoyles game, which appears to be overseen by the mysterious Gargoyle King.

Oh, and did we mention Betty’s mum and sister are members of a new cult that’s arrived in town?

Whatever the storyline, it seems that 'Riverdale’s' action-packed episodes keep audiences coming back for more, with the show one of Netflix’s biggest drawcards at the moment.

“It’s also very fast-paced, each episode bring so much and at the end of each episode there’s usually a cliffhanger or something that very much wants you wanting more,” Reinhart said. “I think that’s why people keep coming back to it.”

But despite its roots in fantasy the show still focuses on the coming of age problems most teens face with references to sex, drug use and mental health common throughout the show.

"Riverdale" stars Camila Mendes (left) and Lili Reinhart open up about sex in a January interview with Cosmopolitan. (Eric Ray Davidson/Cosmopolitan)

In fact, it was a controversial scene last season which saw Reinhart’s character perform a striptease that generated the most chatter, with some viewers taking to Twitter to complain the scene made them feel uncomfortable because Betty is only 16.

According to Reinhart, the scene was intentionally “weird and definitely cringy” because of Betty’s age and the fact it was to help her boyfriend Jughead.

“There’s an awkwardness that comes with being in a young relationship and trying to fit in, and you’re watching her basically try to fit in when you’re so used to her being something completely different,” she said. “There was definitely supposed to be an awkwardness to it. I think if it’s a scene that makes you feel uncomfortable then it works, it did what it was supposed to do.”