The pair co-starred in ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’
Shannen Doherty is joining the fourth season of Riverdale as a special guest for the show’s upcoming tribute to its late cast member Luke Perry.
At San Diego Comic-Con on Sunday (July 21), executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed that Doherty will appear in the show’s season premiere, which is titled ‘In Memoriam’. The actress, who starred opposite Perry in the ’90s hit series Beverly Hills, 90210, is set to play a “pivotal, super emotional role”, Variety reported.
During the panel, Aguirre-Sacasa also revealed Doherty’s addition to the cast had been in the works for a while, claiming that Perry had wanted the actress to come on board since the first season. “They were such good friends, and when we were putting together this tribute episode, we wanted to make it as special as possible,” he added. “She read the script and immediately said ‘Yes.’ It’s very impactful.”
Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead Jones in the series, described working with Doherty as “cathartic”. “It put the cherry on top of that episode and made a nice tribute. She was overjoyed to have the ability to share some of the burden of Luke’s passing that she had gone through in a cathartic setting with the rest of us,” he said.
Following the announcement, Doherty took to Instagram to express her gratitude towards the show. “I am deeply honoured to pay tribute to Luke on Riverdale. The care in which this show takes in honoring his memory is beautiful. He is missed,” she wrote.
Perry died in March earlier this year after suffering a massive stroke. The actor starred as Fred Andrews, the father of Archie Andrews, in the popular CW series.
