LOVING LOTUS LAND
VANCOUVER LIFE IS EASY FOR RIVERDALE’S HERMIONE LODGE
Vancouver, it turns out, is a great fit for actor Marisol Nichols.
The Riverdale TV series star loves the great outdoors and good restaurants. Oh, and her nine-year-old daughter is named Rain.
“I know, it’s awesome, right,” said Nichols, who plays Veronica’s mother Hermione Lodge on the weekly Vancouver-shot drama.
“It’s perfect. She loves it. Every time she goes outside she says, ‘Mama it’s me’ing.’”
“I am such a tourist. I love it. There is so much to do,” said Nichols, who says she and her daughter are Granville Island ferry and market regulars. “I’m a total kid in the candy store.”
Riverdale follows the life of Archie Andrews who, along with his pals, lives in a small town prone to murders. Yes, long gone are the days of upbeat all-for-one, one-for-all silly Archie Comics hijinx. This modern series, now in Season 2, takes pages from Twin Peaks, Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars. It’s dark, gritty and full of teen angst.
While teens are the big viewers of the show, stories involving issues such as substance abuse, single parenting, class division, sex and, of course, all the murdering draw a healthy 25-40 female demographic.
A bonafide hit, the first episode of this season brought in 2.3 million viewers in the U.S. alone. That number more than doubled the viewership for the Season 1 finale. A big part of that is the CW network has a deal with Netflix in which CW shows are made available to the streamer eight days after they air on broadcast TV. That binge bump goes a long way to drive younger viewers to the new season on TV.
“I think there is something for everyone,” said Marisol when asked about the show’s success. “We pack so much into each episode. There is pretty much five storylines going on at once.”
Since her breakout role as Audrey Griswold in 1997’s Vegas Vacation, Nichols has starred in the Darren Star-produced comedy GCB and notched plenty of multi-episode TV guest starring gigs, most notably NCIS and 24. Her feature film resumé includes Scream 2 and Felon. Right now, though, she is enjoying her fan-favourite full-time gig.
“I am so grateful. I have been on a lot of shows. Some people have heard of and some no one ever heard. To be on one that you hear people are saying good things about is amazing. It’s like finding your dream job and getting to do it,” Nichols said. “I can do great work but if no one sees it, it doesn’t really count.”
Nichols was a self-described “hell child” growing up in Chicago.
“I had a lot of things going on and I didn’t have any way of handling it, so I did everything the wrong way,” Nichols said. “I made all the mistakes you can make. As long as my kid doesn’t do that, we are going to be pretty good.”
In the meantime, Rain is still a kid and is happily enjoying Vancouver and Nichols is happy having her out of Los Angeles.
“(Los Angeles is) geared toward twentysomethings, not families. Sure there are some pockets, but I find Vancouver a lot more family-friendly than Los Angeles, so I was happy to bring Rain here,” said Nichols, whose Vancouver west side house also doubles as a home school classroom for 11 sons and daughters, ages six to 15, of show business folks working in Vancouver.
“I am so grateful. I have been on a lot of shows. Some people have heard of and some no one ever heard.” — MARISOL NICHOLS ACTOR, RIVERDALE
“Her mom’s an actress and her dad’s a director (Taron Lexton), so we kind of have to home school (Rain). But it is great,” Nichols said. “Knock on wood, so far it is working.”
That wild child past may provide some painful memories, but it does offer some skills for Nichols to use when Rain splashes down in teenager land.
“You are never going to get anything over on me because I have done it all,” Nichols said.
“My poor parents didn’t see it coming. I will see it coming.”
Nichols’ life took a positive turn in her late teens when she discovered theatre at a local junior college.
“Acting was the first thing I found that I could really do. It was the first time I felt validated for something I could do, to be honest. I really liked it and really enjoyed it,” Nichols said.
After spending American Thanksgiving in Chicago, Nichols, who works with the anti-human trafficking organizations Foundation for a Slavery Free World and Youth for Human Rights International, will be back to shoot the second half of this season of Riverdale.
But if you see her or, for that matter, any of the other cast members walking the seawall, at spin class or a coffee shop, don’t bother trying to get any scoops on the show.
“We don’t know. It’s not like we know what’s coming. We have no idea,” said Nichols, who says it is common to get scripts a day or two before shooting.
“We didn’t know who killed Jason Blossom last year. We didn’t know who the black hood was, any of that stuff.
“You have to trust the process and know that it is just going to work out because it did the first year so it’s got to come out the second year and work out in the end.”
These days it is inevitable when talking with a member of the Hollywood community that the topic of sexual harassment and assault comes up.
Nichols, like a lot of us, sees these terrible stories and the brave women who have come forward as a watershed moment.
“I’ve been very fortunate, at least in Hollywood — I can’t say the same for outside of Hollywood but at least in Hollywood — I have never come face to face with somebody so overt as the people that are being accused like the Harvey Weinsteins and the Brett Ratners and refusing to let you leave a room and that kind of thing,” Nichols said.
“So I have been very, very fortunate. That’s not to say that those guys aren’t what they are, predators are everywhere in any business.
“I would say the one good thing I am happy about all this coming out is that it sends a message to other men in power, or even women in power, that would abuse their positions for their own sexual benefit.
“I think that is horrible, so I am pleased that someone of Weinstein’s calibre could go down.”