Relationships

Lili & Cole's Body Language On Their ‘W’ Magazine Cover Makes Those Breakup Rumors More Confusing

by Korey Lane
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse have thrown fans for a loop this week. On July 22, reports surfaced that the two Riverdale co-stars had reportedly ended their two-year relationship. Neither party confirmed or denied the reports, but after three days of silence, W Magazine published a profile of the two on July 25, which both Sprouse and Reinhart promoted on Instagram, along with some very confusing captions that didn't exactly clear up anyone's doubts about their current status. Luckily, Lili Reinhart and Cole's Sprouse’s body language in W can actually give fans a bit more insight into their dynamic at the time.

For those who haven't been following along with the Reinhart-Sprouse rollercoaster, allow me to catch you up. On July 22, Us Weekly broke the news that Reinhart and Sprouse had reportedly ended their relationship. The two dated for about two years, but while Us Weekly had multiple reported sources confirm the reported split, neither Sprouse nor Reinhart did so themselves.

That is, until they both took to Instagram on July 25 to post their W cover. The interview and the photoshoot happened at least two months before the reported breakup made headlines, but both Reinhart and Sprouse promoted it with captions that seemed to undermine reports of their breakup. "BREAKING: A reliable source has confirmed that none of you know sh*t," Reinhart wrote. Sprouse followed in a similar fashion, writing, "UNPRECEDENTED: Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart consume the flesh of ‘reliable sources’ to fuel their bacchanalian sex cult."

Even so, their interview with W was quite confusing. As the article claims, "two months later the two would part ways romantically," but with Reinhart and Sprouse's Instagram captions that the "reliable sources" were wrong... what does it all mean? Are they together, or aren't they? Well, according to two body language experts, it seems as though Sprouse and Reinhart might not have been at their happiest at the time of the interview and photoshoot.

Body language expert Patti Wood tells Elite Daily that Reinhart, with "her one arm tied down and that hand gently resting and not resisting," and Sprouse, "with him surrounding her and holding her neck and chin in way that threatens silence if she speaks, and with an evil menacing glare on his face that says 'I own her,'" makes Reinhart look like she is posed to stand compliant. She also says Reinhart looks "sad and lost." To be fair, Reinhart and Sprouse are actors. They are trained to look a certain way in photos, and seeing as how these pics definitely seem like they were staged to set a dramatic scene, chances are, they're playing a part. Nevertheless, Woods' analysis is interesting.

Body language expert Traci Brown also gets a similar vibe from the cover. "He’s in the control position with his hand on her neck and chin," Brown tells Elite Daily. "Neither seem that happy." Perhaps Sprouse and Reinhart's maybe-breakup was a long time coming. Or maybe the two are just really good at their jobs and gave a killer performance. Only time will tell what the true status of their relationship really is, but until either one of them verbally confirms they are, in fact, still together, I'll be here, anxiously biting my nails.