Lili Reinhart Shared The Worst Note She Got From a Hollywood Director. And It Will Make You Angry
Of course he did.
Lili Reinhart recently called out a truly awful note she once received from a male director, revealing a behind-the-scenes moment that’s bound to make you angry. The Riverdale star shared in a video interview with Cosmopolitan that this director silently leaned over to her and said, “Just suck in your stomach a little bit.”
According to USA TODAY, Reinhart, who is 29, made this revelation after being asked to name an acting note she took personally during the interview shared on TikTok, where she was joined by her Forbidden Fruits costars Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, and Alexandra Shipp. All three of her co-stars reacted with visible disgust to Reinhart’s story.
Lola Tung immediately declared, “Time for a hex! Time for a hex!” which is a pretty fitting reaction considering the plot of their new horror comedy. Reinhart, for her part, promised she would tell them the Hollywood director’s name privately once the cameras were off.
The incident highlights the kind of inappropriate behavior people in power think they can get away with
The “hex” comment from Tung actually ties directly into their new movie, Forbidden Fruits. In the film, Reinhart plays the leader of a witchy cult. This marks a rare instance of the actress taking on a more villainous role. The horror comedy follows a coven of witches who put hexes on their enemies, so Tung’s suggestion for a hex felt perfectly on brand.
This director’s comment hits particularly hard because Reinhart has been incredibly open about her struggles with body image and an eating disorder throughout her career. It’s not just a passing comment for her; it’s something she’s actively fought against. For example, she opened up about battling an eating disorder while filming Riverdale.
In a candid conversation with Self in 2025, she admitted, “I really don’t like looking at Season 6 imagery or pictures, because I know that 99% of my thoughts were about my body.” She explained, “I was a thousand percent just disassociated through that entire day or scene because my entire inner dialogue is just… ‘Your body’s changing.'” This insight into the constant mental battle she was facing makes that director’s flippant remark even more egregious.
In 2023, the Hustlers star shared that her “body dysmorphia has been going crazy because I feel like my arms need to be half the size they are currently.” She added a critical observation about societal beauty standards, noting, “We’ve glamorized these skinny arms that, for most of us, can only be achieved if you’re a literal adolescent.” She wondered “how anyone survives or gets through this life without having severe” body dysmorphia.
Reinhart’s honesty about body image extends beyond her acting roles
In 2022, she openly described her struggles on Instagram, writing, “I didn’t think being in this industry, that is so obsessed with women’s bodies and weights, could ever mess with my own body acceptance and positivity.. but it has.” It’s a testament to her strength that she continues to speak out about these very personal battles, especially when faced with such insensitive comments. She also shared how “challenging” it is “to look at your body with love instead of criticism.”
Beyond body image, Reinhart has also been incredibly open about other health struggles. Last December, she shared her endometriosis diagnosis, detailing a challenging path to getting proper medical attention.
Her journey began when she saw a urogynecologist and was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, being told there was no cure or lasting relief for her symptoms. She endured “three hospital visits,” and consulted “multiple urologists and gynecologists,” yet “not one of them seriously considered endometriosis as the underlying cause of what I was experiencing.”
It took her working with “two different pelvic floor therapists” and “push[ing] for an MRI on my own” to initially be diagnosed with adenomyosis. Reinhart then met with “an endometriosis specialist who helped me decide that laparoscopic surgery was the next step,” even after a separate gynecologist told her she “probably didn’t have endo.”
She listened to her gut and plans to continue advocating for others to do so too
She concluded her story with a powerful message, stating, “I’m glad I trusted my body and listened to my gut and will continue advocating for others to do so.” Endometriosis is defined as “an often-painful condition in which tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.” The condition can cause pain, particularly during menstrual periods, and may also lead to fertility problems, though treatment can help manage it.
During a recent conversation with USA TODAY, Reinhart expressed her happiness about having worked with “a lot” of female filmmakers in her career, including Meredith Alloway, the director of Forbidden Fruits. She shared, “I’m proud and happy to be championing women in this space, in a space where jobs are usually given to men.” It’s a crucial point, highlighting the systemic issues that make the male director’s comment even more frustrating.
She also told USA TODAY that she was lucky to form a close friendship with Alloway, which isn’t always the case on projects she’s worked on. “I’ve definitely done movies where I’ve not felt comfortable with whoever I’m working with,” she said.
(featured image: IFC)
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