Here's Why You 1000% Recognize Young Hiram In Riverdale
Yes, that's IRL Hiram's son!
Hiram Lodge has been terrorizing Riverdale ever since Season 2, but how he actually became a powerful mob boss had never been explored... until Season 5’s mafia-inspired flashback episode, that is. Season 5, Episode 12, titled “Citizen Lodge,” is dedicated to Hiram’s teen years, and there was no better choice for an actor to portray young Hiram than Mark Consuelos’ actual son. Yep, that’s Michael Consuelos playing young Hiram in Riverdale Season 5, as if you couldn’t tell from the striking resemblance he shares with his dad.
The younger Consuelos has actually already appeared in Riverdale once before. He first played a younger version of Hiram in Season 3’s flashback episode, “The Midnight Club,” but his character only briefly popped up then. This time around, teen Hiram is carrying the episode, marking the younger Consuelos’ biggest role yet. The 24-year-old is still new to acting, so he put a lot of work into preparing for this part. “I immediately started taking more acting classes because I wanted to prepare,” Consuelos told Decider. “They had a lot for me to do this time around, and I wanted to make sure I lived up to everything they wanted.”
The episode also brings back other characters from the fan-favorite “Midnight Club” flashback episode, such as Camila Mendes playing the younger version of Hermione Lodge.
Michael Consuelos is the latest member of his family to pop up on Riverdale. Obviously, Mark Consuelos is a series regular, and his wife Kelly Ripa showed up for an episode in Season 3. Also, close friend of the couple, Andy Cohen, had an unexpected cameo in Season 2, which weirdly developed into a whole Real Housewives side-story this season.
Of course, Michael Consuelos’ role was specifically for this one episode, so fans shouldn’t expect to see him on the show much more. But here’s hoping viewers get more flashback episodes in the future so young Hiram can steal the spotlight once again.
New episodes of Riverdale Season 5 air Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
