Vanessa Morgan‘s Toni Topaz has been through a lot, and the actress is ready to see her find some ‘justice’ along with the rest of the Riverdale gang in the final seventh season of the long-running series. “I want to go back to where we started,” she told HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE interview. “I think that would give my character the most justice. For the Serpent members, for Toni and for Cheryl Blossom.”
“It’s bittersweet,” she continued. “I feel like that chapter in my life is closing, but it’s been a long time — six years — and I’m ready for something new. But, I love Toni as though she’s myself. She’s an alter ego. So, I know I’m just going to be bawling my eyes out when it’s actually coming close to the end.” Vanessa admitted that she planned to get a tattoo to “honor” Toni Topaz after the final season. “I would probably get a snake if I’m being honest!” she told HL. “A snake for the Serpents.”
The season 6 finale of Riverdale saw all of the Archieverse characters come back to their roots after a season filled with supernatural themes that went a little off-book. In short, Veronica (Camila Mendes) formulates a plan where she absorbs the team’s powers via a blood transfer and gives them all to Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) through a kiss. Combined with her phoenix powers, Cheryl is then strong enough to melt the comet by herself, which essentially reverses time. In a shocking twist, Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), wakes up in the 1950s, and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) reveals that Cheryl’s act of heroism may have saved Riverdale, but it made it so that the gang is back in Riverdale High School, and the year is 1955.
While Riverdale has yet to begin filming its final season, Vanessa said she “doesn’t know how they’re going to tie things together for the finale.” “There’s so many things going on. There’s just so much that was so big, but I have a feeling things will end in a very beautiful way,” she revealed. “That’s why our hiatus is so long right now we have a break. I think the writers are just going to really tune into giving our characters justice and how they want to wrap up such a big show.”
Vanessa spoke to HL in partnership with Gold Bond to help launch their #MyScarStory campaign to encourage people everywhere to embrace real skin and the stories it tells. “I had an emergency C-section, so I have a scar from that. I partnered Gold Bond to launch #MyScarStory, which is encouraging people to embrace their real skin, embrace their imperfections and their authentic selves,” the mom of 1-year-old River Kopech told HL. “At first, I was a little bit embarrassed of my scar when I saw it, but then when I took off the bandages I was like, ‘I should be proud of this scar. I brought a human Earth side!”
To celebrate the campaign, Vanessa got a tattoo to commemorate her scar, and used Gold Bond Advanced Healing Ointment to protect her skin & keep the tattooed skin moist. After the tattoo healed, she was able to apply Gold Bond Pure Moisture Daily Body & Face Lotion and Gold Bond Healing Lotion.