KJ Apa

Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa (born 17 June 1997), known by his stage name KJ Apa, is a New Zealand actor. Apa gained recognition for playing Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street (2013–2015) and Archie Andrews in the CW teen drama series Riverdale (2017–2023). In film, he has starred in A Dog's Purpose (2017), The Hate U Give (2018) and I Still Believe (2020). In 2021, he released his debut solo album, the indie folk-rock album Clocks.

Early life

Apa was born on 17 June 1997 at Waitakere Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, the son of Tupa'i and Tessa Apa (née Callander). His father is Samoan and a matai (chief) of his village in Samoa; his mother is a European New Zealander. His father is known as Keneti Apa, with Keneti being a Samoan rendering of "Kennedy": both Apa and his father are named after the late United States President John F. Kennedy. He has two older sisters. Their uncle is former rugby union player and coach Michael Jones. Apa attended high school at King's College in Auckland before beginning his acting career.

Career

From 2013 to 2015, Apa starred as Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand prime-time soap opera Shortland Street. In 2016, he was cast as Archie Andrews in the CW drama series Riverdale, after a four-month worldwide talent search.

In 2017, he starred as Ethan Montgomery in the comedy-drama film A Dog's Purpose, which was released on the same day as Riverdale premiered on television.

His next film role was replacing Kian Lawley in the 2018 drama film The Hate U Give. He starred as Griffin in the Netflix film The Last Summer, which was released on 3 May 2019. He also starred as singer Jeremy Camp in the biographical romantic drama film I Still Believe, which was released in March 2020.

Apa starred in Adam Mason's critically panned 2020 thriller film Songbird, produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes. The film was accused of using the COVID-19 pandemic to create a thrill plot. In May 2021, Lionsgate Films announced he would appear in a military based drama West Pointer.

In 2021, he independently released his debut album, Clocks, which explores the folk rock and indie genres. It gained some attention on Spotify and TikTok.

Personal life

Apa was involved in a minor car accident in Vancouver in September 2017, but was uninjured when the passenger side of his car hit a light pole. The late-night crash was reportedly the result of him falling asleep at the wheel after a long day of filming.

In May 2021, Apa announced that he and French model Clara Berry were expecting their first child, who was born in September 2021.

Apa was raised in a Christian family and has stated that he is a Christian. In April 2018, he publicly criticised Australian rugby player Israel Folau for claiming that it was God's plan to send gay people to Hell, describing Folau's comments as "disappointing".

In September 2022, he was awarded the matai title of Savae by his native village Moata'a in Samoa.