Camila Mendes Has Perfected the Skill of Reinvention

      “We’re off to an excellent beginning,” Camila Mendes sings from her side of the screen, amusement lighting up her eyes and her chin-length bob seeming to perk up as she hears my voice. Just moments after logging onto our Zoom call, my accent rich with Miami hints at our shared upbringing. We both hail from South Florida suburbia—a humid, chaotic, and at times, suffocating environment. Mendes captures it perfectly when she describes our hometown, and the bubble it creates in our personal narratives, as akin to another universe. Perhaps that explains why our hour-long chat feels unusually intimate, more like a reality TV confessional than a formal interview. She shares details about her fitness regime and her role in a Mr. Fantasy music video, rumored to feature her former Riverdale co-star KJ Apa. When Mendes discovers we graduated from the same high school just a few years apart, our conversation veers into a shared trauma bond, unique to those of us who navigated adolescence in South Florida. By the end, speaking with Mendes feels less like interviewing a star and more like reconnecting with a cool upperclassman I might have seen in the halls back in the day.

      The effortless flow of our conversation almost distracts me from the fact that, in stark contrast to the slow-paced, hazy lives many lead in Miami, Mendes is right in the midst of potentially the busiest year of her career. In the first half of 2026 alone, she’s involved in three upcoming projects; her production company, Honor Role, has just released its second feature film, Idiotka; and somehow amidst this whirlwind, she’s also planning a wedding with her longtime partner and former Música co-star, Rudy Mancuso. And then, of course, there’s the noteworthy responsibility of leading a major summer blockbuster. This month, Mendes enters the expansive, nostalgia-filled realm of Masters of the Universe, a live-action reboot of the beloved ’80s He-Man series featuring Nicholas Galitzine, Idris Elba, and Jared Leto. Mendes plays the sword-wielding Teela, who teams up with Prince Adam, portrayed by Galitzine, to protect their home planet of Eternia from the evil Skeletor. It’s a summer blockbuster built for big budgets, Comic Con excitement, and inevitable online discussions. This film marks the most significant project Mendes has tackled since her breakout role as Riverdale’s mean girl, Veronica Lodge. No pressure or anything.

      “I’ve never participated in something of this magnitude. I’ve never gone on a proper press tour before, and I’ve heard it can be chaotic in an entertaining way but also quite exhausting," Mendes admits, acknowledging the intense schedule of global premieres approaching in the coming weeks. It’s a frenzied schedule filled with red carpets, international overnight flights, and press obligations, without any preparatory crash course. But Mendes is accustomed to this pace. She keeps herself busy. She humorously compares her current life to the notorious Lady Gaga meme: “No sleep. Bus, club, another club, next place.” The comparison sticks.

      Despite her busy agenda, or the fact that Mendes's name frequently appears in Deadline articles shared across Instagram by talent agencies and fan accounts, she finds joy in downtime. “I’m not someone who actively seeks out busyness, genuinely, and I know my friends and family would likely laugh at me for saying that,” Mendes reflects. “I’ve become much better at saying no as I’ve grown older.” There’s a surprising level of steadiness in Mendes when we talk, which feels somewhat at odds with the continuous spotlight she’s been under since Riverdale launched her into fame nearly a decade ago. Although she’s just a few years my senior, she speaks with emotional clarity typically gained only through significant life experiences or costly wellness retreats—or, in her case, both.

      In 2024, Mendes attended the Hoffman Process, a personal growth retreat favored by a select group of spiritually curious celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Sienna Miller. This intensive seven-day program has become a rite of passage for Hollywood figures seeking to recover from years of industry burnout. Mendes’s choice to attend coincided with a particularly transformative time in her life: right after her Saturn Return and following the conclusion of Riverdale’s seven seasons—a chapter that had dictated much of her adult public persona and daily rhythm. What comes next when the role that shaped you becomes a thing of the past?

      It’s understandable that Mendes needed to navigate what lay ahead amid such change. “I was in a phase where I didn’t know how to say no. I kept placing blame outside of myself for my busy life and felt a lot of anger,” Mendes confesses. “My experience at Hoffman really helped me clarify my priorities and what I want from life. Now, I find it much easier to discern what deserves my time.” That newfound emotional clarity extends to her approach to