All Hail Camila Mendes, the Streaming Age's Rom-Com Queen

Whenever a big teen drama comes to an end, there’s the inevitable question: “Where does the cast go from here?” The teen TV pipeline can catapult its stars anywhere from Lifetime flicks to Oscar-winning films (just look at Michelle Williams) to career pivots into music, fashion, or directing. Some stars take a brief hiatus from acting, like Dylan and Cole Sprouse during their years attending NYU, while others never return to Hollywood at all. Whatever path they ultimately choose, it can understandably take a while for former teen show stars to figure out their next move.

This isn’t the case for Riverdale alum Camila Mendes, who already has multiple projects under her belt less than a year after The CW series ended. The actress got her start playing rich girl Veronica Lodge in 2017, staying on as a main cast member for all seven wild seasons. During her time on the show, she simultaneously took on main roles in Netflix movies like The Perfect Date (2019), Dangerous Lies (2022) and Do Revenge (2022), as well as a supporting role in Hulu’s critically acclaimed Palm Springs (2020). Since Riverdale ended in August 2023, she’s starred in and produced Prime Video’s romantic comedy films Upgraded, which premiered in February, and Música, which made its streaming debut on April 4.

It’s an impressive list of credits for a 29-year-old actress who, prior to landing Riverdale, had only appeared in an IKEA commercial. But Mendes isn’t just gaining more mainstream recognition in her post-CW era, she’s quickly becoming the rom-com queen today’s streaming age needs.

One of Mendes’ greatest strengths has always been her comedic timing and her delivery, which is subtle, sharp, and stinging. She can take a simple line and transform it into something unmistakably hilarious. We saw glimpses of this in Riverdale, her talent evident from the moment in the pilot where she famously quipped “You wanted fire? Sorry, Cheryl Bombshell, my specialty’s ice.” She even won the “Scene Stealer” Teen Choice Award in 2017 for her performance.

Unfortunately, the series often underutilized her, frequently reducing Veronica to the same tired plots revolving around her father Hiram (Mark Consuelos) or on-and-off boyfriend Archie (KJ Apa). It’s always been clear that Mendes could act — nobody can deliver ridiculous lines like “Because we’re endgame!” with a totally straight face and not be talented — but many viewers hadn’t realized the full extent of her abilities until recently.

Now with rom-coms, Mendes is finally getting the chance to play fleshed out characters and really showcase her talents. While it’s considered more of a black teen comedy than a traditional romance, Netflix’s 2022 film Do Revenge played a key role in establishing her as a major player in the genre. Opposite Stranger Things’ Maya Hawke, she plays Drea Torres, a popular, selfish teen whose social status plummets overnight after an intimate video of her is leaked online.

It wasn’t Mendes’ first rom-com, or even the first one for the streamer, but the movie’s overwhelmingly positive reception marked a turning point in her career. Edgy, dark, and full of razor sharp jokes that only Zoomers could immediately get, the role was the perfect sweet spot for her style. Suddenly, even people who gave up on Riverdale after Season 1 were sharing her viral “I am shocked! This is shocking news!” scene and insisting that they always knew she was a great actress. At last, the world was beginning to recognize that Camila Mendes is, indeed, funny as hell.

This February, she kept her rom-com hot streak going with Prime Video’s Upgraded. She stars as Ana, an intern who finds herself caught in a lie when a handsome, wealthy Londoner (Archie Renaux) mistakes her for a successful art director. Unlike genre benders Do Revenge and Palm Springs, Upgraded is pure rom-com, and it puts Mendes (who’s also a producer on the film) directly in the spotlight as the lead.

The story itself is charming, but nothing groundbreaking. It can best be described as a sort of modern day version of the 2006 classic The Devil Wears Prada. However, Mendes’ strong performance and chemistry with Renaux sets the movie apart from other titles in Prime Video’s library. If Ana were played by someone else, she might be difficult to sympathize with, but Mendes successfully sells her as a struggling young intern who’s just trying to figure out her place in the world — someone who’s flawed but also extremely relatable. It’s a delicate balance to strike, but she nails it.

Mendes’ most recent streaming movie, Música, might be the project that best utilizes all of her strengths. The Prime Video film centers on Rudy (Rudy Mancusco), a Brazilian college student who’s overwhelmed by his upcoming graduation, well-meaning but overbearing mother, recent breakup, and, most importantly, the constant music in his head that he can’t turn off. But when he meets Isabella (Mendes, who’s also of Brazilian descent), a fellow Brazilian who works at a local fish market, he starts to see the world from a different perspective. It has all the makings of a classic rom-com, from their meet-cute when Rudy is accidentally hit with a big fish to their chaotic first date that ends with a sweet mutual admission of their feelings.

The actors’ chemistry is undeniable, probably helped by the fact that they’re dating in real life, but Mendes gives a standout performance. Although Isabella gets Rudy to open his eyes up to the beauty of their neighborhood, she doesn’t come across as the dreaded manic pixie dream girl archetype who only exists to benefit the brooding male protagonist. This is partially due to the writing, but also because of how Mendes plays her — in particular, her “Bullsh*t!” scene perfectly captures not only the hurt and anger her character is feeling, but also speaks to something deeper, something that any woman who’s ever been screwed over by a dumb guy can relate to. This kind of scene would have gone a long way for her character’s arc on Riverdale — in a way, it feels like Veronica is finally getting the development she deserved.

It’s also worth acknowledging that Mendes has carved out this successful path in Hollywood as a Latina. Although we’re starting to see more diversity, rom-coms (and the industry in general) have unfortunately been historically dominated by white casts. Even auditioning for Veronica seemed like an impossibility for her at first — in a 2018 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she recalled her parents warning her, “They’re probably going to go with some white girl.” But, despite The CW initially envisioning “someone who looks like Krysten Ritter,” she ultimately landed the role. Mendes has also made a point to incorporate Latine culture into her characters. For example, she changed her Upgraded character’s last name to Santos in order to more authentically reflect her background. And, of course, Música directly centers around Brazilian culture.

As streaming services continue to invest in romantic comedies — as they should, especially after the success of Anyone But You — they’re going to need talent like Mendes who can draw in Gen-Z and millennial viewers. Prime Video in particular has shown a vested interest in the genre, producing hits like The Hating Game, Red, White & Royal Blue, and the upcoming The Idea of You. Notably, Upgraded was a big success for the streamer, with the movie even dethroning A24’s Saltburn for the number one spot on the service.

Of course, none of this is to say that Mendes should limit herself to rom-coms. In a recent interview with Variety, she said that she doesn’t want to be boxed into anything, explaining, “I don’t want to feel like I’m just repeating the same role over and over again or repeating the same genre.” Certainly, she should explore as many genres and types of characters as she wants in her post-CW career. But she has a real knack for these roles that’s definitely worth clocking — and, as we learned from Charles Melton’s knockout performance in May December, the Riverdale cast shouldn’t be underestimated.

Música is streaming on Prime Video.

Kelly Martinez is a TV Reporter based in Los Angeles. Her previous work can be found at BuzzFeed and People Magazine, among other outlets. She enjoys reading, spending time with her cat, and explaining the plot of Riverdale to people.