Madelaine Petsch Was 'Mercilessly Bullied' Over Her Red Hair When She Was Younger

Take one look at Madelaine Petsch and you think – her hair is amazing.

The 22-year-old Riverdale star has the most gorgeous red hair, but surprisingly, she used to be bullied over it.

“I was mercilessly bullied,” Madelaine told Stylecaster.com. “I was a little kid with a South African accent and bright red hair. I was the weirdest kid in this small town in Washington.”

“I was the only person who was from somewhere else, so I think they just didn’t understand it,” she continued. “They said I was a weirdo or that I didn’t belong there. That was the hardest one when people said I didn’t belong there.”

“I was bullied a lot for having red hair,” Madelaine explained. “It really affected me in the beginning because I was the only kid, especially first through sixth grade, who was really mercilessly bullied, and I never really understood why.”

Madelaine added, “After playing Cheryl, I realized the bullying doesn’t come from anything, but insecurities in oneself. The people who are bullying you, they’re insecure about who they are and that’s why they’re bullying you. It never has to do with the person they’re bullying. They desperately want to be loved and be accepted, and they go out of their way to make people feel unaccepted so that they’re not alone.”

Pictured: Madelaine wears a purple hoodie while touching down at the airport on Sunday (July 16) in Vancouver, Canada.

FYI: Madelaine is wearing Vans shoes.