Madeleine Petsch nearing the end of a seven-season series with Riverdale. While it’s probably scary to leave a long-running and wildly popular show behind, it will give Petsch the opportunity to tackle other genres, flex some new acting muscles, and maybe even s… involved behind the scenes in different capacities. If his latest release, the Amazon movie Freevee, Hotel for vacationis any indication, Petsch is gearing up to do all that and more.
Petsch conduit Hotel for vacation like Georgia, the manager of the Fontaine Hotel in New York. It’s Christmas time, so there’s a lot of pressure to provide guests with an upscale hotel experience that’s loaded with holiday spirit. Georgia is always trying to bring her a game to work, but it’s not easy juggling a curious spark with the hotel chef (Mena Massoud), an infamous pop star, an ex-European prince, his own personal career ambitions, and more.
With Hotel for vacation now available to stream via Amazon Freevee, Petsch took the time to join me for a Collisionneur Ladies Night conversation to recap his journey from his first inspirations to his long run Riverdale and beyond.
Where did it all start for Petsch? She attributes a very special bond to the Harry Potter livres:
“That’s such a weird answer, but when I was a kid I grew up in kind of a tough environment for a lot of reasons, and the Harry Potter stories gave me an escape in a way and to build a world in a way that I had never really felt or understood before. And I think the amount of escapism that I felt listening to the audiobooks, reading the books, the security that I felt in this world is a huge reason why I love what I do today. today.
In addition to this appreciation for Harry Potter, Petsch grew up inventing plays and dances, and his parents took notice. They enrolled her in acting and dance lessons at just three years old and were very excited about supporting her acting dreams, but they also placed great importance on Petsch having a traditional childhood before. to commit to pursuing his profession full force. Here’s how Petsch put it:
“They refused to let me have normal childhood experiences. So they say, ‘You have to go to the ball. You need to graduate from high school,” which I am so thankful for now. So I would say that was a really solid first step for me. They drove me to California, or maybe we flew twice, and auditioned and met with agents and managers, but they were really like, ‘You can’t do this as long as you didn’t finish high school, and then we will fully support you. ‘ And then also, I went to an arts high school, a high school that was really arts-oriented, and I think that really helped me become independent. It helped me really hone my craft, and it helped me make the decision not to pursue dance. I decided that I was only going to continue acting by going to this school that had all these different performing arts that I could try.
When the time finally came to try to make acting a full-fledged career, Petsch was unintimidated by the extreme risks and challenges of the business thanks to the example her parents set for her. She explained:
“I was brought up in a family where ‘can’t’ wasn’t really in our vocabulary. My parents are from South Africa. They moved to the United States with almost no money in their pockets, built a business and were able to put a roof over my [head] et [my] brother arriving in this country with nothing… And I think because of that and because of their drive, their knowledge, their success and their self-confidence, I was taught at such a young age age that wasn’t really an option not to. What I’m so grateful to have looked back on. They built this trust in me as a kid that I could do anything, and now I look back, and I’m almost more scared of the world now than I was then, which is so funny considering where I am now. I’m like, ‘How did I do that at 18?’ »
Even with that spirit and self-confidence, it was not easy to navigate from the start. After much time without booking a role, a significant boost of confidence came thanks to the opportunity to work with the three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki.
“I didn’t really book anything the first year I was there other than a Honda commercial. And I think that could have been a great high as well. I made a lot of money on it and worked with an amazing DP, Emmanuel Lubezki who did Gravity, and I think doing that made me think, ‘Whoa, okay, I can book this. I can do it.’ It was a very rewarding moment for me.
Petsch received further validation of his instincts and authority over his work through the on-set collaborative nature of the production that would eventually become his big break, The CW’s Riverdale. Petsch did not need to pay his dues. Right out the door, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was keen to get her feedback and incorporate her hopes for Cheryl on the show.
“Roberto, our showrunner, has always been so open to our creative input from the start. I remember right after the pilot finished filming, he sat down with all five of us and said, ‘What are the things you want to see your character do?’ And he said, ‘What are the things that you just want to do or want to learn?’ I was like, ‘I really want to learn archery.’ It came into the show. I was like, ‘It’s random, but I want to do this.’ So he was always open to that. And then when we were halfway through season 1, I believe, I called him and said, ‘Cheryl is a lesbian.’ And he was like, ‘Cool. Tell me why.’ And he was super open to that. [He] and I’m the reason Cheryl is a lesbian. It was an idea, a thought, a feeling that I felt when I was playing it. So he always really respected all of our creative input and welcomed it with open arms.
RiverdaleThe seventh and final season of is currently in production and slated to air in 2023. With the end in sight, I asked Petsch for a Cheryl-specific acting technique and will likely have to stay with the character, and for a bit of her craft that this role has not given her the opportunity to explore that she is eager to dive into. Here’s what she left with:
“Cheryl talks incredibly fast and I find that when Riverdale is over, I have to get by. So that would probably be something to be left in the dust. What about things I’m looking forward to exploring? Kind of everything. I’ve definitely dived into a lot of other projects and I’m so thankful and happy and love them all. I just did Hotel for the Holidays and I think doing a comedy and a light play was so much fun. I would really like to do more comedy and have fun on set [laughs]and not just crying and running from monsters and serial killers all the time.
Petsch is not only the star of Hotel for vacation. She also took the time to work with the director Ron Olivier and the writers to further develop Georgia before filming. She explained:
“I really wrote with the director and the writers. I rewrote a lot of my lines to feel more in tune with the character we created, and I think that’s something I didn’t do a lot and really enjoyed. I also think the quirkiness, the comedy, the almost Gilmore Girls relationship that Georgia has with just about everyone in the movie, I feel like I’m going to move forward in other comedies as well. I haven’t had the opportunity to do a lot of that, so I think learning who I am in a comedy role and in a movie like this like that was really fun for me and I really looking forward to exploring this further.
Given Petsch’s dedication to going above and beyond by contributing to the development and writing of Hotel for vacation, one wonders if she has any plans to write and direct herself. Here’s what she said when asked about her future behind the lens:
“I do. I do. It’s hard to say. I really love producing and I love being invested from scratch and I love creating characters. It’s kind of my job as an actor and I think as my storytelling evolves, the way I tell stories will also evolve.
Looking for more Petsch? We have you well covered in this department! Be sure to watch her episode of CBS Ladies Night in the video at the top of this article, or you can listen to the 30-minute version of the conversation as a podcast below:
