KJ Apa Didn’t Want to Be an Actor, But Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way Now

KJ Apa is not only starring in Prime Video’s new movie, The Map That Leads to You, but he’s also on his own journey, taking everything thrown his way day by day.

The 28-year-old actor, who rose to fame for his role as Archie Andrews in the television series Riverdale, tells The Hollywood Reporter that he actually “never wanted to be an actor” growing up. But when an opportunity came his way at 16 years old to star on a New Zealand soap opera, Apa knew he couldn’t pass it up, and “the rest was kind of history.”

Later on, his relaxed mentality regarding his Hollywood career actually benefited him when it came to auditions. “I think there was a level of just chillness to my attitude and going into things that meant that if I didn’t get something, I was never really that disappointed because I didn’t choose to do this anyway,” he says.

Apa may not have chosen this path, but it’s one he wouldn’t change, he admits. Especially because he can now make “movies that make people feel good and can help people find a sense of identity,” such as with Prime Video’s new pic, The Map That Leads to You, also starring Madelyn Cline.

Below, Apa opens up about playing a version of himself in The Map That Leads to You, his favorite part about traveling all over Europe for the movie, the impact Riverdale had on his career, fatherhood and his dream movie role.

What initially drew you to the role of Jack in The Map That Leads to You?

I did a movie called The Hate U Give with Amandla Stenberg and Marty Bowen, who was producing that movie, and I stayed in touch with [him]. He sent me this script, must have been about a year ago, and I immediately loved the script. I’d never read the book and I loved it. I was at a point in my life where those themes that we talk about in the movie, especially about God and the universe and all things kind of intertwining together, I resonated a lot with at that point in my life, and still now. And it just read really well, and I am all about movies that make people feel good and can help people find a sense of identity. 

As the film is based on J.P. Monniger’s novel of the same name, what can book fans expect with the adaptation?

You can expect it to be different. Madelyn and I talked about a lot of things ahead of the film that we wanted to bring into the characters and conversations that we wanted them to talk about, and Lasse [Hallström, director] was a huge component in navigating through these things as well. By the way, I haven’t read the book. I always kept asking Marty, “Do I need to read this book?” And he’s like, “No, it’s gonna be better if you don’t read the book because we wanna just have a fresh perspective.” Marty was like, “Well maybe you should just play it like a New Zealander.” And I was like, “Hmm, I don’t know about that because I haven’t done it since I was in New Zealand when I was 16, I haven’t really used my own accent.” But there was something about it that was exciting for me to do because it’s a different kind of process when I’m using my own accent, just ‘cause it feels more like me. There’s less of a separation between me and the character, which really worked for us because it meant that all of the improvisation stuff, which is the way that Lasse really loves to work, felt very natural. 

There’s a lot of moments where Madelyn and I are just kind of existing in whatever setting we’re in. And every single scene we did, we did a lot of takes where we just didn’t look at the lines or we forgot about the lines or we were encouraged not to think about the lines, so we just kind of interpreted it the way that we felt the characters were. 

As a viewer, I enjoyed seeing all the incredible locations as your characters are also discovering these places. What was your favorite part of traveling and filming all over Europe for the film?

Oh, it was sick! It was really cool. I’ve never had an experience shooting like that in really amazing places. I mean, I’d never been to Portugal, I’d never been to Italy, I’d never been to Barcelona. So it was like a dream being able to shoot at those places. The only thing, I just remember being so hot all the time, but that was fine. But it was like a big holiday. We worked really hard though, like there were really long hours. I’m just so grateful that I got to work with Madelyn because she’s so chill and it felt effortless working with her. And the stuff that our characters were talking about, we were also really into, and we were talking about off-camera.

In the movie, Jack sort of running from his personal battles and the fear of the unknown, while also trying to enjoy the present moment with himself and Heather (Cline). What would you say to people who can somewhat relate to Jack? 

I think we all can relate a little bit, just in the most simplest way. Being constantly bombarded by social media, politics, all of these things that are rushing into our lives at light speed on our phone screens, you know, in conversations with people and stuff like that, and it has a real ability to rob you of the present moment. And this idea of the present moment — how can I be present? How can I stay out of the future and get out of my past and just be in the moment? — is something that’s becoming more and more difficult as time goes on. That was something that I was really interested in at that point in my life because the things that I was going through. That’s part of the reason why it was so attractive to me to do a movie like this, because I knew that it was gonna be going to a certain demographic of people who are very important to me, who are my age also, and younger, where hopefully they can be reminded by the most important things in life which are relationships, and the people that you love, and where you’re getting your self-worth from, and your health too. 

Your point about being present reminds me of the scene where Jack judges the girl for taking a selfie on the rooftop and Heather calls him out.

That was a tough one. I was trying to justify that too, as an actor [Laughs]. I was like, man, people are gonna hate me for this. It’s such a gnarly scene in terms of just letting people do whatever they want, really, at the end of the day. But that’s where the balance comes in great with the two of them because he got put in his place and he needed. I do believe he was in the wrong there, because as soon as you start projecting your things on other people, it kind of retracts everything that he’s been telling her this whole time about doing your own thing and living in the moment. Who’s to say that taking a photo of something isn’t being in the moment? It’s just cherishing the moment, you know, honoring the moment because you love it so much and you want to capture it. 

Do you have a favorite scene or moment that you’re most excited for viewers to see?

My favorite moment is actually when they’re at the airport toward the end of the movie, and he’s saying he needs to go to the bathroom or something. That’s my favorite moment because I think just from a performance standpoint, that was again a scene where Lasse was just like, “OK, you guys know what’s going on at this moment, just do whatever.” And it’s that thing of like, he’s saying goodbye and you don’t want to say goodbye, and he’s not being forthcoming in what he’s feeling and with his reality. And I just think there’s a beautiful moment between the two of them there. It’s something that I was trying to do in my performance, to kind of let go without fully letting go, if you know what I mean. And it’s just devastating too, because at the same moment, I’m trying not to judge him by leaving her there. 

Having played a teen for so many years on Riverdale, how excited were you to play a character in The Map That Leads to You that’s a bit closer to your actual age?

Not only just that, but I feel like I’m really just playing a version of myself. I mean every character is, but with my accent, her [Cline] and I talked about [how] it just felt like we were playing closer versions of ourselves. It felt good. It’s so different to Riverdale. It’s much more set in reality. It’s such a different kind of work. I mean, it felt like a breath of fresh air. And I don’t think it was coincidental too that I got to work with Lasse again, who I did my very, very first movie with. So after Riverdale, I got to re-enter this world of making movies and playing characters that are closer to who I am, with the guy who gave me my first opportunity. So that was awesome! It also made me reminded me of how different Riverdale was, you know, it was so different. Working on that show, we were in another whole universe, and it didn’t actually ever feel like I was gonna get out of it. I couldn’t imagine a world where I would ever not be on that show, so to fast-forward being in the middle of Riverdale to know that I was gonna shoot something like this, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine it. 

Since Riverdale was such a large part of your life for so many years, when you think back on that time, what did you take away from it that’s helped you in your career today?

I’m very aware that that show plays a huge part in me sitting where I am right now, and being able to talk with you about this movie, having the opportunity to do this movie, having a platform that I’ll continue to have hopefully for the rest of my life. And I’m so grateful for it. I think it’s hard to see that gratitude when you’re in it, and there’s a lot of people who have also been through it, you know, people like Luke Perry who would just remind me of how lucky I am. And that people will change and that you will get out of this and life will be different. Thinking about that show, there’s so many emotions that come up because I was really figuring out who I was on that show while going through fame. You know, access to a lot of things that I didn’t have access to, and then having opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. And also being a part of pop culture that we’ll never be able to get back to because we captured something with that show that is iconic. So yeah, I’m so grateful for it and I love Riverdale with all my heart and I love Archie with all my heart. … And I hope that there is a moment where we can all revisit in some way, shape or form what that was. 

How has becoming a father a few years ago changed your perspective on life, as well as just your personal and career goals?

I certainly wasn’t expecting to be a father this young. We [Apa and Clara Berry] were not trying to have a child, but it became the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. It’s one of those things, man, that I’ll just give to God being a lifesaver, you know, my son in a lot of ways has saved me and keeps me grounded. In this industry, and any industry, I think as humans we want to progress. I’m the kind of person that wants to be good at things, and I want to be the best at things, and in a way [fatherhood has] made me slow down. I move really quick and I feel like it’s really great for me because it forces me to just chill and just slow down and to just have more trust in the fact that everything is as it should be. Being a father is the greatest. I mean, it can be hard sometimes for sure, but it’s great. 

Do you have a dream genre or role you hope to do in the future?

I want to do it all. I really think that a lot of those things choose you, you know. I’d love to work in comedy more. I don’t think I’ve had the opportunity to really show that side of myself. There’s this director, Peter Berg, he’s one of my favorite directors. I’d love to work with Peter Berg. That’s good I’m actually putting that out there — we’re manifesting. But I wanna be a part of projects that inspire people. That’s always been my goal. As I’ve gotten older and had a kid and stuff, I think I wanna be a force of good. I wanna tell stories that make people feel good. I want to leave people with things that make people feel good. 

If you had to describe what makes KJ Apa, KJ Apa, what would you say?

My family makes me who I am because you could strip everything off of me — you could strip work off, material things off, dreams off — and the only thing that I can say that would still remain with this raw version of myself after everything has been taken away would be my family. That’s the only thing that I can say with full certainty would still be there: my family and my friends.