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Did Camila Mendes Give Her Boyfriend Rudy Mancuso A Riverdale Crash Course? Actress Reveals
American actress Camila Mendes sheds light on whether she gave her boyfriend Rudy Mancuso a Riverdale crash course. The actress offers insights into their dynamic and the show’s influence on their relationship.
American actress Camila Mendes ensured her boyfriend got acquainted with Riverdale. When asked if he had watched the hit CW series, Rudy Mancuso told PEOPLE that he certainly had, with Mendes, 29, mentioning that she had given him a quick crash course on the show.
"He watched the first and last seasons," she says. "I quickly showed him key moments from each season. I said, You should see this scene and then this one.”
"Yeah, she gave me a quick Riverdale crash course," agrees Rudy Mancuso, 32, though he admits there are "a lot of episodes I haven't seen."
In 2023, during the show's seventh and final season, the couple, who met on the set of Mancuso's directorial debut, Prime Video's Música, in 2022, watched it together. "He watched it with me for the first time," Camila Mendes recalls.
"And I enjoyed it," American internet personality and musician Rudy Mancuso adds.
Rudy Mancuso casts Camila Mendes in semi-autobiographical Música Role
In casting Teen choice awardee Camila Mendes as Isabella, his love interest in the semi-autobiographical film Música, Mancuso watched some Riverdale clips but mostly relied on interview footage. The film tells his story of dealing with synesthesia in Ironbound, New Jersey's Brazilian community.
"I chose not to watch it before casting her because I didn't want it to affect how I saw her as an actor and person," he says. "I already knew she was talented."
"How did you know I was a good actor?" Camila Mendes asks, leading him to discuss his research before casting her.
"I watched interviews. I prefer seeing actors in interviews rather than performances because it shows their authentic selves and inspires me," Rudy Mancuso confesses. "Since Isabella was supposed to be grounded and tailored to the actor, I focused on seeing Cami, not Veronica Lodge."
"There's nothing about Veronica that would resemble Isabella, so I'm glad you chose not to watch it beforehand," Camila Mendes remarks, highlighting the contrast between her Riverdale character and her role in Música.
"I thought, Okay, I know she can act. I want to understand who she is,” he adds.
"Mancuso's unconventional approach paid off, as he felt chemistry with the Upgraded star from the moment we met," and their relationship grew there.
Rudy Mancuso on relationship with Camila Mendes: Intense and quick
"It worked out because we were getting to know each other off-set, and we got to portray that dynamic in real-time on camera as our characters," Camila Mendes explains how their real-life chemistry with Rudy Mancuso translated into an off-screen relationship. "This natural, charismatic chemistry existed in that scene."
Rudy Mancuso adds, "We didn't anticipate it to be so intense and move so fast. But yes, as we spent all day in our characters, the lines between Rudy, Isabella, Rudy, and Cami began to blur."
Their shared Brazilian-American background only deepened the connection. "It felt like I'd known him much longer because we just understood each other in ways that others might find hard to grasp," she says, acknowledging that it "sped things up."
Rudy Mancuso agrees, praising his girlfriend, "Cami is perfect for this role, truly. She was always our top choice. There aren't many Brazilian-American actors fluent in English and Portuguese, with her beauty, talent, intelligence, and production skills. She checked every box and then some."
You can watch Riverdale on Netflix, and Música is available on Prime Video.
ALSO READ EXCLUSIVE: ‘There’s A Lot Of Me In Ana’: Camila Mendes Talks Upgraded Role And Taking On EP Dutie
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