'Riverdale' Star Bernadette Beck Says Show Made Her Feel Invisible, 'Unlikable In People's Eyes'

Bernadette Beck shared how "Riverdale" made her feel invisible and look unlikable in the eyes of the viewers.

Beck, who played Peaches ‘N Cream in seasons 3 and 4, shared her not so pleasing experience on the show, particularly playing her character. According to her, she was made "unlikable" due to the lack of character development.

“I was made out to be a very unlikable character and therefore, an unlikable person in people’s eyes,” Beck told Elle.

The producers told her to appear "sassy" and someone who "always speaks her mind." Ironically, she has very few dialogues and her character lacks the backstory for the audience to understand where she was coming from.

“I get it, there’s always a protagonist and antagonist, but I never had much of a story plot or enough character development to even be considered an antagonist,” she added.

“I was, for no reason, depicted in a very negative, unattractive light. And I’m not the first Black actress to show up on set, stand there, chew gum, and look sassy and mean. I feel like I was just there to fulfill a diversity quota. It’s just to fulfill points.”

Aside from the poorly developed character, she was not given much attention on set. There was even a time when she felt invisible and had to ask where to stand or what to do because the production seemed to forget that she was part of the show.

"I was completely forgotten in the scene more than once," Beck recalled.

"The director [would] be walking off set and I’d have to chase them down because I had no idea where to stand, what to do—I just hadn’t been given any instruction. You can’t treat people like they’re invisible and then pat yourself on the back for meeting your diversity quota for the day.”

According to Beck, others might say it's just a show. But for her, she’s more concerned of its long-term implications to her career.

"If we are depicted as unlikable or our characters are not developed or we’re looked at as the enemy all the time, that affects our public persona. What kind of opportunities are we losing out on even after 'Riverdale'?" she added.

"Our white co-stars are getting all this screen time and character development. They’re building up their following, generating more fans, selling out at conventions, and fans have more of an emotional connection with them. But if we don’t necessarily get that, and we’re looked at with disdain, what does that do to us and how does that stain our reputation moving forward?”

Beck shared her interview with Elle on Instagram and in a lengthy caption, she reiterated that "Black actresses should not be invisible on set." She added that Black characters should be treated with more care.

Beck’s statements come months after Vanessa Morgan opened up about her issue with the show. In May, Morgan, who plays Toni Topaz in the series, revealed that she was paid the least in comparison to her white co-stars.

"Lmao too bad I'm the only black series regular but also paid the least. girl i could go on for days (sic)," Morgan tweeted at the time.