Riverdale's Cole Sprouse Talks "Bughead"

While he was an early and frequent proponent of an asexual take on Jughead's character, Riverdale actor Cole Sprouse eventually came around to the idea of his character being in a relationship with Lili Reinhart's Betty Cooper.

Why? Well, a lot of it had to do with staying true to how Sprouse perceived the character from the classic Archie Comics, but even within the world of Riverdale, Sprouse says, Betty makes a lot of sense for Jughead.

The couple have been thrown together as the people most interested in solving Jason Blossom's murder, with Betty being there for Jughead through the loss of his makeshift home and Jughead standing beside her while she's dealing with the very real possibility that her parents could have killed Jason Blossom -- the father of her sister's baby.

When asked about the situation, Sprouse contrasted their relationship with the strained one Jughead has had with Archie this season.

“It’s important to remember that though Betty and Archie when they were younger were kind of this cute couple, Jughead, Betty and Archie were the three childhood friends,” Sprouse told reporters during a recent visit to the set.“So Betty knows Jughead probably just as well as Archie does in certain ways and she is also this sort of nostalgic force of what was once morally just. I do believe Jughead is just absolutely obsessed with what was once Riverdale, and Betty represents this morality and purity that he associates to this more Peter Pan-like childhood version of Riverdale. He finds great comfort in that, and becomes easily accessible and resonates with him.”

The first new episode of Riverdale in three weeks will air tonight, in the form of "The Outsiders."

As Fred (Luke Perry) and his crew are about to start construction he loses his crew, which could put his livelihood in jeopardy. Wanting to help his dad, Archie (KJ Apa) and his friends pitch in to help but after one of them is attacked, the gang comes up with a plan that lands them in Southside Serpent territory.

With Jughead’s (Cole Sprouse) secret revealed, he is worried about how his friends will react. Meanwhile, Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Betty (Lili Reinhart) suggest throwing Polly (guest star Tiera Skovbye) a baby shower to make her feel better, but Polly is hesitant knowing how everyone feels. Marisol Nichols, Madchen Amick, Madelaine Petsch and Ashleigh Murray also star.

David Katzenberg directed the episode written by Julia Cohen.