LOS ANGELES — Actress Camila Mendes has candidly opened up about her severe battles with an eating disorder and debilitating panic attacks during her time filming the hit teen drama series Riverdale. Speaking on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast, the Upgraded star revealed that the intense pressure to maintain physical perfection heavily triggered her long-standing mental health struggles, which originally began during her high school years. Mendes explained that portraying the character Veronica Lodge required her to constantly wear tight-fitting dresses, mini-skirts, and midriff-baring outfits. On days when she felt bloated or insecure, being forced into these costumes amplified her body dysmorphia, leading to moments of profound distress on set.
Mendes detailed how this relentless perfectionism deeply disrupted her relationship with her body, sometimes inducing severe panic attacks right before she had to step in front of the camera. She described the overwhelming feeling of “feeling disgusting” while being unable to accept her physical appearance under the spotlight. Furthermore, the actress shared that her panic attacks are primarily driven by an inability to process her emotions freely in high-stress environments. She explained that if she feels the urge to cry but suppresses it due to professional constraints, the emotional bottleneck triggers a physical panic response. Riverdale, which also starred Lili Reinhart and KJ Apa, concluded its successful seven-season run in August 2023.
