KJ Apa talks Riverdale
KJ Apa has said starring in Riverdale can sometimes feel like being, 'in jail.'
He made the revelation during a chat with Demi Moore for Interview Magazine.
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Demi and KJ star in the latest Michael Bay pandemic thriller Songbird.
The Riverdale star admitted when he was offered the role, he wasn't sure whether it was going to be, 'really good,' or, 'really bad.'
He told Demi, 'You and all these amazing people were attached, and I was like, "F**k it. Let’s try."'
Demi revealed, 'I had no idea what I was getting into.'
'It wasn’t a huge role, but it wasn’t really about that. It was about the adventure,' she said.
KJ confessed, 'I felt so free coming from a show where I feel like I’m in jail a lot of the time.'
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Referring to Riverdale, he said, 'There are so many restrictions on what I can and can’t do.'
'With this character, it was like, "Wow, this is what it’s like to really express myself in a natural way."'
'I wasn’t covered in makeup or hair products,' he continued, 'I had long hair and a beard. I just felt free.'
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Archie Andrews
KJ went on to talk about the, 'pressure,' that come with playing Archie Andrews on Riverdale.
He said, 'I’m so grateful for the show and its success, but at the same time, there’s a lot of baggage that comes with that success.'
'I feel like the only people I can talk to about my issues are my costars, the people who can really relate to me.'
The 23-year-old said he confides in Jughead actor Cole Sprouse a lot, because he's been in the business since he was a kid.
'I try and look at it from a fan’s perspective to understand the way they think.'
'But there are times when I’m like, "Wow, they really have no idea that we are actual people."'
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KJ believes, 'They can’t separate us from our characters. You don’t have that in other professions.'
'You don’t dissect the life of a builder and start judging the decisions he makes in his life with his wife and kids.'
'As an actor, I will be judged on everything: my political opinions, my opinions on drugs, my opinions on the people I want to be with.'
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'Everything. It’s something I’ve had to come to terms with,' he added.
Luke Perry
KJ dealt with a lot of this pressure with the help of his late co-star, Luke Perry.
He said, 'Having Luke on the show was such a blessing for me.'
'When I was first experiencing success, Luke had a way of just quashing it and being like, "You’re only as important as the PA sitting over there."'
'He knew everyone’s name. Sometimes people talk about our job as this really important thing, like no one else can do it.'
'Luke had the ability to be like, "Step on your mark. Stay in line. Go home. Show up on time. Treat people with respect." I loved that about him.'
KJ is currently filming season five of Riverdale in Vancouver.
