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DRESS: SKAIST
T AY L O R
Riverdale star Madelaine Petsch used her
down time on set to amass a huge following
on social media
By Christian Chensvold
T
he general public — and even those
aspiring to a career in show business —
often don’t understand the hard work
behind all the glitter and fame. But for
Madelaine Petsch, getting up at 4 AM
and working 17-hour days, sometimes
for weeks on end, is nothing to complain about,
since she loves what she does and will do
whatever it takes. “You have to love what you’re
doing,” she says, “or else it’s going to show up
on camera.”
Connections and talent are necessary parts
of the success package, but making it also
requires a tremendous work ethic. “If you want
to work in this industry,” says Petsch, “you need
to have the drive, passion and tenacity. Even if
it’s a 24-hour shoot in the middle of winter, I’m
still loving my job.”
The quality of tenacity may not be glaringly
obvious, since 23-year-old Petsch says some
think she was an overnight success. In fact
it was four years until her big break, and the
process of securing her role on Riverdale
took six months with numerous callbacks and
tests. To Hollywood newcomers, she advises
patience, “because it’s not going to happen
overnight.”
To keep herself busy and career-productive
during down time on those long shooting days,
Petsch launched a YouTube channel to connect
with fans, and soon amassed nearly a million
subscribers in just a few months. She considers
it an honor and tremendous opportunity to have
a voice capable of reaching so many people, and
relishes the ability to share positive messages
with her following. She has opined on such
topics as keeping positive attitude, staying fit,
and the importance of nutrition (she advocates
careful portion control and veggies with every
meal). And while some in Hollywood may find
social media a wonderful tool that comes with
a double edge, Petsch has found nothing but
positives from Instagram and YouTube. “I find no
negatives in my industry,” she says. “The reality
is that social media is part of your job now. It’s a
powerful thing and we’re at a very powerful time
with celebrities in the limelight, and especially
as a woman I find it very powerful to have social
media. I don’t think it’s bad at all. The whole
#timesup movement happened over social media,
so we’re so lucky to have that platform.”
Petsch’s current ambitions are simply to maintain
those long shooting days. “The biggest challenge
as an actor is to remain consistently working, so
if I can do that, I’ll be happy.”
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