'Riverdale' Star KJ Apa Reveals How They Prepare for Kissing Scenes Amid COVID
The cast of "Riverdale" has recently returned to work for the fourth season's remaining episodes and the start of the fifth season.
Production halted in the past couple of months because of the coronavirus pandemic, and now they're all back in Vancouver, Canada.
KJ Apa, who plays Archie Andrew on "Riverdale," posted a video on Instagram on how they avoid the spread of the virus while shooting for make-out scenes.
In the video posted on Wednesday, Apa was joined by his co-star Camila Mendes, who plays Veronica Lodge, where they were given a tiny blue paper cup of what seemed to be a mouthwash.
"Our new normal is washing our mouths before every take of a make-out scene," he captioned the video.
They had to swill the mouthwash inside their mouths for more than a minute.
Apa and Mendes linked their arms like a bunch of newly-weds drinking champagne before swigging the liquid inside their mouth.
Meanwhile, a production crew wearing gloves handed the "Riverdale" stars a clear plastic bag where they could spit out the mouthwash.
The video suggested that the mouthwash could prevent the coronavirus's spread on the production set of "Riverdale." However, it remains unclear what the liquid is in the cup exactly or how effective their method would be.
Their "Riverdale" co-star Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty Cooper, commented on Apa's Instagram video saying, "that s-t burns," which suggested that it wasn't just Apa and Mendes who had to get accustomed to the mouthwash.
But the mouth cleanse isn't the only change made to their production set.
Reinhart had previously shared that the cast and the crew had to stay in Vancouver until they finish shooting in December.
In early September, Reinhart said she feels "like a prisoner" filming for the show.
Speaking to Nylon magazine, "I genuinely feel like a prisoner, going back to work, because I cannot leave Canada."
"That doesn't feel good. You can't go home for Thanksgiving, can't visit your family. No one can come to visit you unless they quarantine for two weeks. It just feels f*****d."
Though she's frustrated she can't be home for the holidays and can't work on new projects until she leaves Canada, Reinhart said she's still grateful as many people have lost their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic.
" I'm very lucky, but it's like, 'I need to keep going," she said. "I need to keep going."
Pre-production of the hit Netflix and CW show started on August 17. The next day, Reinhart told Jimmy Fallon she had to isolate for two weeks before she returned to shoot for "Riverdale."
Their other co-star, Vanessa Morgan, who plays Toni Topaz, said she and the rest of the cast and crew of "Riverdale" are required to take COVID-19 tests thrice a week to make sure that they aren't positive and can continue filming.
Though the show has already started filming, the show's fans will have to wait longer for the new episodes.
The show is set to come back to The CW next year. According to Variety, the network is planning for a January 2021 premiere.
