Luke Perry’s death was ‘incredibly painful’ for Riverdale co-stars
The cast reflect on filming the first episode of Season 4, which will address the actor’s death from a stroke in March.
Riverdale's Luke Perry (right) and KJ Apa (left). (Photo: Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)
The cast of Riverdale shared their feelings at the loss of co-star Luke Perry after the screening of the TV show’s new Season 4 trailer at New York Comic Con on Sunday (Oct 6).
At the panel, the actors discussed the making of the upcoming season’s first episode, which will address Perry’s death. The episode premieres in the US on Oct 9.
READ: KJ Apa remembers screen dad Luke Perry: 'He would call my parents every week'
According to Deadline, Skeet Ulrich, who plays FP Jones, said it was “difficult for us all.”
He added: “To me, in some ways, it meant reliving something incredibly painful. We felt the need and the want (to pay him tribute), but I don’t think any of us wanted to live in that again. (The first episode of the season was a) beautiful episode, but incredibly hard to perform.”
Perry’s ex-wife in the show, played by Molly Ringwald, shared: “I think we all dealt with it in different ways. I didn’t get to go to Luke’s memorial so (this episode) was really like my goodbye to him. It was kind of what I needed. He was my guy. It felt like a nice goodbye for me.”
READ: Luke Perry’s daughter misses her late father, thanks fans for support
Perry was an original cast member of the hit show, playing Archie Andrew’s (played by KJ Apa) dad, Fred. He died of a stroke in March but his storyline wasn’t wrapped up in the remaining episodes of Season 3.
Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told The Hollywood Reporter in a previous interview: “And we wanted to honour Luke, and figure out the best way to handle the character of Fred Andrews in the show, so we sort of said, you know what? Let’s not squeeze, let’s not rush to squeeze something into the finale, or into the last couple of episodes, let’s really think about it, and let’s tell that story at the beginning of season 4.”
And in a moment that’s sure to evoke some nostalgia, Perry’s 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty will also be appearing in Season 4's first episode.
