Celebrity News August 05, 2024
KJ Apa Says ‘Riverdale’ Cast Will Be ‘Part of My Life Forever’ (Exclusive)
KJ Apa is dishing on his new action-drama “One Fast Move,” in which he plays a young man who reconnects with his estranged father while trying to become a professional motorcycle racer.
“Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with KJ about learning to ride a motorcycle for the movie and staying in touch with his “Riverdale” castmates, which ended last year after seven seasons.
He said, “I love them. They’ll be a part of my life forever, you know? I’ll be there for them any day of the week, and I look back fondly every day that’s gone by since that show has finished I think about that time with them. I'm so grateful for that show and being able to be a part of it. It puts a smile on my face every day."
Apa got sentimental about “One Fast Move,” too, saying, “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life, and I just felt so connected to the story.”
KJ called it “the most enjoyable job” he’s ever taken, saying that he was “blessed” to be a part of the movie.
But Apa admitted that he was scared his first time on a motorcycle!
He shared, "The first time I was on a bike, yeah, I was terrified. I didn’t know how it worked. I’ve always looked at bikes my whole life and been like, 'That's something I'll never understand and I have no interest in understanding it.' But I thought it was really cool and people who rode motorcycles were really cool... But I was terrified of what it actually meant to ride a motorcycle and how to do it.”
KJ said it took him about a couple weeks of riding every day to feel comfortable on a bike. He explained, "Riding motorcycles is one of those things where you're like, you know, now I feel very comfortable on a bike, but when you're on a track on race bikes going at speed, there's no letting your eyes or letting any of your sensories kind of go for a second. You're kind of focused the entire time."
He continued, "So that part of riding, to me, is something I found really interesting and something I loved about Wes and about the character, because I find that people who are in racing of any kind who are addicted to that speed are also addicted to being on the edge 24/7 and that level of risk that's involved."
KJ did have a stunt double for the “high-stakes stuff,” but “a good chunk of it” was him.
He shared, “I had a stunt double, his name is Dave Cutler, he’s brilliant on a motorcycle. He can do anything on a motorcycle, so we were really lucky to have him. That was not me falling on that bike, which I was quite happy not to do. I would have done it, you know, I would have done it. I need someone telling me, ‘KJ, no, don’t do it!’ because I will die for a lot of the projects that I’m working on. That’s just who I am. But especially on this one, because I loved it so much and I loved the character so much.”
“One Fast Move” is on Prime Video August 8.