If You Don’t Know Who Mr. Fantasy Is, You Do Now

Liam James1 hour agoLast Updated: 23 September 2025

0 0 7 minutes read

Depending on which side of TikTok you’re on, you may or may not know who Mr. Fantasy is. But once you come across his account, it’s quite hard not to become instantly obsessed.

While Mr. Fantasy is an aspiring musical artist with an eccentric personality and quirky style, there’s something all too familiar about him. That’s because fans suspect he’s actually New Zealand-born actor KJ Apa (Riverdale, The Map That Leads to You) wearing a wig and fake teeth, with a British accent. (To back up their theories, fans also point out that Apa and Mr. Fantasy have the exact same tattoos.)

When The Hollywood Reporter asked his manager, who only goes by the name John, if he could confirm it’s Apa under that unforgettable black bob, he wouldn’t spill. And John asked over email that the “silly actor boy TJ Apple” not be brought up during THR‘s interview with him.

Either way, in a little over a month, as Mr. Fantasy posted his first TikTok video on Aug. 18, he’s already captured the attention of thousands, garnering nearly 700,000 followers on the social media platform. He also dropped his self-titled debut single earlier this month, already reaching nearly a million monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

While Mr. Fantasy is not ready to address his connection to Apa just yet, he was more than thrilled to talk over Zoom about his goals as an artist, upcoming music, why James Franco is his biggest inspiration, whether he’s open to performing live for his fans and more.

How did your whole social media and musical journey begin?

Well, it started with a woman. And that woman is my nan, my grandmother. That’s where the story begins because she is my reason, and she fostered this gift that I had been given by the gods to create music. As a small child, that’s what I loved, and I grew up listening to amazing music. And she always told me to pursue that dream and she believed in me and I decided to come to Los Angeles and make it like so many people do, because America is this place, this magical place, where somehow, for some reason, you can be completely who you want to be. Any version of yourself seems to be accepted. … I mean, look at how many stars were made here. James Franco, for example, came to Los Angeles to pursue this dream, and I’m just another artist who’s out here doing his thing. (Laughs.)

What is it about James Franco that inspires you?

What isn’t it about him? (Laughs.) I mean, that’s the question, isn’t it? What is it not about him that makes me want to be him? Oh, I don’t want to be him. I simply just am fascinated by him, straight from the horse’s mouth, that horse being James Franco. And he does have a big old mouth. I think he’s the Renaissance man of our time. He’s an artist, he writes, he’s an actor, he’s a director. You can give him anything, and he just seems to be this creative soul that just will not stop. And I’d love to get the chance to work with him and in any capacity: whether he wants to be on one of my songs, whether I can be in one of his movies or just a friend.

Have you ever met James?

No, I’ve never met him, but I love him.

Why is it so important for you to be open with your fans on social media with your creation process?

It’s important for me to include them in everything I do, because if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you. And that rhymed, and I tend to do that. I’m kind of a genius when it comes to stuff like that. (Laughs.) The fans are my everything, literally. I’m constantly online. I’ve had to buy another phone because my phone died because I’m on TikTok too much, apparently. (Laughs.) But I love talking to them in the comments. I’m very interested in what people are doing in their own lives. I’m fascinated by that. If I could talk to a dog or talk to a horse or talk to a rodent, any kind of animal, I would be talking to them all night.

After releasing your debut song, “Mr. Fantasy,” what are you hoping to convey with your music and your sound?

What am I hoping to convey? Love. That’s really the main ingredient, and it’s not a conscious thing that I’m trying to concoct. It just sort of seeps out of me, like some kind of strange liquid. But that’s where the music comes from, it’s very natural. It’s in the same way that a bee produces honey. It’s the same way that Mr. Fantasy produces sound waves into the ether. It’s very much part of who I am, in the same way that James Franco has the world on all fours for his performances.

Would you be open to any live performances in the future?

Yes, of course! I mean that’s why we love what we get to do in life is because hopefully whatever it is that we’re doing, we get to share it with people in a live format, in reality. So the answer is yes, and I can’t wait for that because I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves, you know what I mean?

In addition to music, do you have other creative aspirations, like acting?

I mean, I think I am a good actor. If I was given the right opportunity, I would be quite good. I think I’m honest enough to be an actor. Often the best performers, like James Franco, they seem to have honesty. It exudes off of the screen, and so yeah, of course I’d be very interested, you know. I’d love to work with James Franco, if I haven’t already mentioned that. If I was to do it, I don’t think I’d do it without him.

As you try to define yourself as an artist, what do you think when people compare you to a certain person in your comments?

I’m not trying to define myself, do you know what I mean? I sort of just am me. That’s how I’m trying to inspire people, by just being who they are, because that’s the biggest gift that we have. I’m sorry to say it, but we were born all very different, and I think it’s very important to inhabit this thing that you are, instead of trying to be someone else. It’s very difficult now. We’re in a time where we all want to be like the big star, Austin Butler, or these other amazing people like James Franco. I’m guilty of it, aren’t I? Shoot me. (Laughs.) … But I’m not trying to actually define who I am to people, do you know what I mean? What you see is what you get. Me sitting right here with you drinking this Guinness, Carly, is in fact who I am. And it doesn’t change when I go to sleep at night. I’m just me. And I love being me. The best part of my life is that I get to walk outside and I get to scream, “I am Mr. Fantasy!”

Do those comparisons bother you?

Not bothered by it, not bothered by it. Things bother me sometimes, but I keep my eyes upward, and I keep trudging the happy road of happy destiny. You know, things can be hurtful, sure, but I focus on the positive. I focus on the people whom I love and who love me and that have a positive influence on my life, like James Franco.

Can fans expect more music in the future? And if so, can you tease anything?

So I’ve been listening all day to my next single that is gonna be coming out in the coming weeks, I promise that. It’s a very good song, is all I’m gonna say. It’s the type of song that will have you begging for your life, quite literally. That’s all I can say. It’s very nostalgic. It means a lot to me because it relates to my fans, my fantasies. (Laughs.) And it’s a song that that came very naturally to me. I’m very proud of it, and I can only hope that it can flap its wings after it’s released into the world and when I’m done with it. … And I think it is going to do that because the frequency that I have, that flow, my brilliant producer has this sort of sexy frequency that he puts onto all my songs that happens to make people fall in love with me. (Laughs.) Because I mean if you look around, everyone’s sort of listening to Mr. Fantasy. And it’s just brilliant.

What’s your overall goal with music, and what do you hope to achieve as an artist?

I tend to live life one day at a time. I haven’t thought about that, honestly, Carly. If I’m being honest with myself, when I wake up every morning, I’m focused on what’s gonna happen today and that keeps me sort of in the present moment. The trajectory of the careers and the trajectory of things like money and all of these material things is great, and it’s good to plan ‘cause life is a very fragile thing that we have to be aware of at all times, but I’m not worried about that. Look, this could all crumble away in the morning, but at the end of the day, I still have John, who’s my friend, and I still am Mr. Fantasy.

Source: Hollywoodreporter

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