Television

Riverdale's Cole Sprouse confronts Vancouver busker who disrupted filming with her performance

by Craig Takeuchi on July 13th, 2017 at 5:08 PM
    1 of 3 2 of 3

      Production on the Archie Comics–based TV series Riverdale met with resistance from a local busker—and a confrontation between a cast member and the street performer was caught on video.

      The series was unable to shoot a scene for its second season due to busker Babe Coal performing on Robson Street across from the Vancouver Art Gallery. Riverdale began shooting Season 2 in Vancouver on June 22 and will continue until March 21.

      Actor Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead, and a crew member spoke to the performer on Robson Street to explain that they wanted one hour to shoot. Actor Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty on Riverdale, is also seen in the video in costume. 

      Videos uploaded online capture Sprouse speaking to Coal, surrounded by a crowd. Coal refused to stop her performance.

      Sprouse explained to the crowd that they give their filming locations to the city but then "some scam artists come out and start playing". Coal objected to that term and argued that she plays at that location daily.

      Allegedly, some fans purchased one of Coal's CDs to help mitigate the situation. Videos uploaded to social media showed Sprouse breaking the CD in half as fans cheered. 

      On Twitter, Coal posted numerous tweets on her Twitter account about the incident, including claims that Sprouse slandered her and was abusive.

      Babe Coal's real name is Megan Regehr. Regehr has faced previous issues about sound from her performances in the past.

      In 2012, she received six $100 bylaw tickets for using her amplifier at a North Vancouver civic plaza. She appealed the fines in B.C. Supreme Court, arguing for her right to freedom of expression.

      Although the court ruled to set aside the bylaw tickets in 2014, it did not strike down the noise bylaw as unconstitutional.

      In 2016, she filed a civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court against the City of North Vancouver for $140,000 for years of potential lost income. 

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook. 
      Click here to report a typo.

      Craig Takeuchi

      @Cinecraig

      The urban beastie otherwise known as Craig Takeuchi is a UBC BA (art history/film studies) and MFA (Creative Writing program, with a screenplay thesis) graduate who has had his fiction and non-fiction work published in numerous local and national publications. He's covered a wide range of topics...

      Go to profile

      Comments