Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers for Riverdale Season 5, Episode 4, "Purgatorio." Just like that, the Core Four have grown up, and with the show's seven-year time jump comes new characters to love (or fear) as well. Chances are, Cora made you do a little bit of both. While at first she just seems to be a literature-loving fan of Jughead's, viewers quickly see she has a darker side. So, who plays Cora in Riverdale? Megan Peta Hill brings the multifaceted character to life.
Cora was introduced during the Feb. 10 episode and initially seemed harmless. To recap, after the time jump, Season 5, Episode 4 showcased what each of the Core Four had been up to in the seven years since they graduated high school. Betty is in the FBI, Archie's a sergeant in the Army, Veronica lives in the Upper East Side with her husband, and Jughead is a struggling author.
Jughead met Cora in a bar after receiving an eviction notice and getting dumped by his then-girlfriend, Jess. Cora approached him with his one successful book and the two flirted before going back to his apartment to hook up. The next morning, Cora admitted she'd gone to the bar specifically to find him and asked him to pass along her manuscript to his agent.
All of that is a little shady, but it's after debt collectors arrived to hunt down Jughead that her true colors showed. Cora agreed to tell the guys that Jughead wasn't home (thus helping him avoid confrontation and potential harm), if he would put i na good word for her to his agent. She then threatened to give his information to the collectors if she didn't hear back within a week. Unfortunately, Jughead's already in hot water with his agent since he's failing to deliver pages for his next book, which means Cora could be a huge problem for him moving forward.
While her on-screen character is pretty devious, Peta Hill seems to have the same determination as Cora, minus the sus tactics. The 22-year-old actor has a ton of credits in a variety of projects including roles in iZombie, Big Sky, Supernatural, and The X-Files. On her Instagram, she says she's not only an actor but an "artist, athlete, and vocalist" as well. Despite her lengthy resume, her role as Cora could be her biggest role yet, depending on how long she sticks around to torment Jughead.
Riverdale continues Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
