KJ Apa stole our hearts the second he appeared as Archie Andrews on Riverdale. America instantly fell in love with his humor, charm and—let’s be honest—his ridiculous washboard abs. At only 20 years old, he’s actually convincing as a high school character and has been one of the breakout stars of the series. (I’m already counting down to the premiere of Season 2.) Since this down-to-earth celeb is pretty new to Hollywood, there’s still plenty to learn about him, so here are a few fun facts—just in case you didn’t find him swoon-worthy enough already.
1. He’s from New Zealand
Despite sounding totally American as Archie, KJ isn’t from the U.S. Far from it. (Very far.) He was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, and has the accent to match. Check out the interview below to hear him speaking with his natural Kiwi inflection.
2. He’s not a redhead
His natural hair color is dark brown, and embracing Archie’s iconic red hair was quite the ordeal.
“It’s pretty gnarly, man. I had to go to the salon every two weeks to get it dyed and bleached and stuff,” he told Vulture. “It was really painful the first and the second time I got it done because they do my eyebrows as well. They ended up bleaching my eyebrows, and I had two holes—they burnt into my skin. I was like, ‘Oh, my, we’ve got to sort this out.’ Luckily, I haven’t had that again.” Apparently the first time he went ginger it took ten hours.
3. He can play the guitar…and even took it to his Riverdale audition
KJ explained to Los Angeles Confidential Magazine, “It was scripted in the pilot that he likes to write music and stuff. I remember in the screen test I took my guitar and just casually walked in. I told them I was going to play them a song before I did the scene. They didn’t really have a choice and I just did it.” Producers said later it was a sign that he was perfect for the role.
4. He released an album titled The Third Room
He released a new track on YouTube this March. (Fun fact: His dad is playing the keyboard accompaniment in the background.)
5. He’s modest
He told The New Zealand Herald, “The show’s called Riverdale, it’s not called Archie, you know what I mean? I don’t think I’m of any more importance than these other three leads [Betty, Veronica, and Jughead], we’re all on the same level.”
6. Riverdale wasn’t his first TV show
In fact, the first time KJ acted on-screen was in a New Zealand soap opera when he was 16. On the show, called Shortland Street, he played a character remarkably similar to Archie: a high-school athlete named Kane who dabbles in music. He even got the chance to do a scene with Ed Sheeran when the British singer-songwriter made a guest appearance.
7. He was also in A Dog’s Purpose
The controversial A Dog’s Purpose was his first feature film, and he played the teenage version of the main character, Ethan, who loves his dog Bailey and falls in love with his high school girlfriend, Hannah. Though the film’s love story is adorable (Football games! A county fair!), this behind-the-scenes detail was a little less cute. “I had a thing with Britt [Robertson] where we had to do this kissing scene in the car,” he explained to Vulture. “It was scripted that the dog comes up in between us while we’re kissing and starts licking her face, and the only way to get the dog to do that was by rubbing chicken sauce on Britt’s cheek. So that was kind of strange. Kissing while having chicken grease all over your face. It was real hot.”
8. He wasn’t a fan of the Archie Comics until after he got cast
“I wasn’t too familiar with Archie, mostly because I wasn’t really exposed to him over in New Zealand. In fact, I wasn’t exposed to him at all, but I think before I went into the audition and when I had found out that I was going to be auditioning for this character, I definitely did some research and I realized how big of a deal it was,” KJ admitted to Moviefone. Makes sense, since Archie Andrews is known as an all-American character (and was an entire ocean away).
However, “I think me not being a massive fan of the comic was beneficial in a way because I could have the script for the pilot as my main focus,” he told Teen Vogue. Since the franchise has been around 75 years, Riverdale is just a little different from the original comics anyway.
9. He has a doppelgänger
KJ has run into former Glee star Myko Olivier a few times, and the resemblance is absolutely uncanny, despite the fact that they were born more than 10 years apart. As Myko suggested in one Instagram caption, maybe Riverdale needs a long-lost brothers storyline? Someone make this happen!
10. His dad is a Samoan chieftain
NBD. “My dad’s father was a high chief…and the family agreed my dad would take over his chief title: Tupa’i,” he explained. He even got a tattoo on his right shoulder to commemorate his heritage (visible in this Instagram post). According to the New Zealand Herald, Apa’s tattoo has specific designs unique to the village he’s from, as well as some symbols representing their family.
11. KJ is close with his on-screen Riverdale dad, too
“It just clicked,” KJ told HelloGiggles when describing his first rehearsal with Luke Perry, who plays Archie’s dad Fred on the show. He even met Luke’s real son—after waking up from an accidental nap on Luke’s couch.
“I learn so much from him, just from personal things, life stuff. We’ll talk about heaps of stuff and it really helps me. He gives me advice,” he told Moviefone. Too cute!
12. One of KJ’s friends has been photobombing all his photos with fans, and it’s everything
I’m dying.
13. His bromance with costar Cole Sprouse is the stuff of legends
It’s basically official now that they aced their Netflix “Bromance-O-Meter.” Between roasts and fits of laughter, the two proved how well they know each other, from celebrity crushes to the TV shows they’re currently binge-watching. Whether they’re reading complimentary tweets to each other (and confirming they’ve told each other “I love you”), sharing ugly photos of each other online or road-tripping through the desert, these two are #goals. Can I join?