Riverdale actress Camila Mendes reveals she suffered panic attacks while working in Vancouver amid lockdown: ‘It was strange for me’
Camila Mendes says she suffered panic attacks amid the isolation of lockdown last year.
The Riverdale actress began filming season five of the CW show in September and had to uproot from Los Angeles to Vancouver where the cast and crew have been living ever since.
Talking to Health for its April issue, Camila, 26, explained: ‘When we first started shooting season 5, I started having panic attacks, which was strange for me.
Camila Mendes talks about suffering panic attacks in recent months. The actress stuns in the April issue of Health which hits newsstands March 12
‘I think it was because I was in Vancouver and borders were closed—no one could visit us. You start to miss your home and your life, and you don’t have your friends or community with you.’
The Virginia-born star insisted that she was happy to be working but still had to learn self care remedies to manage the panic attacks.
‘I want to say, I am so grateful to be working and would never want this to come off that I am not. Taking baths helped with the panic attacks.
‘I think it was because I was in Vancouver and borders were closed—no one could visit us. You start to miss your home and your life, and you don’t have your friends or community with you.’ the 26-year-old opened up about the impact working away from friends and family has had
Working hard: The CW star has been living in Vancouver since September 2020 when production season five began. She is pictured here in Vancouver in October
‘I also learned in those moments to put down my phone and take a break from technology and get in the tub with some music on and a book. I never did that before the pandemic, and now I love that I’ve learned to do that for myself.’
Camila added that while she’s always been a social butterfly, the pandemic has taught her that she actually likes to spend time along.
‘When this all started, I was in a place in my life that was go, go, go. I never imagined I’d have time to just sit and be by myself. It has really made me reevaluate priorities.’
The has played Veronica Lodge on the drama since 2017 and told Health that it was a ‘dream’ to land the role straight out of college.
‘I never expected as an actress studying theater at NYU that my first gig would be so transformative.’ Camila said it was a dream to land the Riverdale role straight after college
‘I never expected as an actress studying theater at NYU that my first gig would be so transformative.
‘Then, there’s the other side of it. When you have such a massive fan base, there are haters that come along with it. But that has actually been a good learning experience, too. It forces you to accept and get comfortable with the fact that not everyone is going to like you—and that’s OK. That’s a very valuable lesson to have learned early in my career.’
Camila graces the cover of Health’s April issue hitting newsstands March 12th.
Camila graces the cover of Health’s April issue hitting newsstands March 12th