Most people who recognize KJ Apa will recognize him because of his role as Archie Andrews on Riverdale. However, it is interesting to note that he has been in other projects as well, as shown by the news that he will be joining The Hate U Give following the removal of Kian Lawley from the movie.
Here are five things that you may or may not have known about KJ Apa:
KJ Is a Nickname
Perhaps unsurprisingly, KJ is a nickname that comes from Apa’s full name, which is Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa. It is interesting to note that Keneti is also the name of his father, who comes from Samoa. However, Apa was born and raised in New Zealand, which is where his mother comes from.
He Debuted on Shortland Street
Riverdale isn’t the project in which Apa had his acting debut. Instead, that was Shortland Street, which is a New Zealand soap opera that is broadcast during prime-time hours. Like its name suggests, Shortland Street is centered around a fictional hospital called Shortland Street Hospital, which is why its characters tend to be either employees at said institution or related to employees at said institution. Naturally, Apa’s character Kane Jenkins was no exception to this rule, being fostered by the Cooper family.
He Plays the Guitar
Besides acting, Apa is interested in music as well. When he was a child, he used to play the guitar on local street corners. However, even now, Apa is known to sometimes bring his guitar with him when he is somewhere shooting something for a new project so that he can play it when he has the free time.
He Got Into a Car Accident in 2017
In September of 2017, Apa got into a car accident in the city of Vancouver in Canada. The incident saw Apa’s car smashing into a light pole on the passenger side, which is how Apa came out of the experience uninjured. However, the fact that Apa got into the car accident because he fell asleep from exhaustion from a long shoot is a reminder of the importance of getting enough sleep. Simply put, not getting enough sleep can cause people to fall asleep for short intervals, which can have horrendous consequences when said individuals are behind the wheel. Apa was lucky to come out of the incident uninjured, but that is no guarantee of the same for other people who go through something similar.
He Has Replaced Kian Lawley on The Hate U Give
Recently, it was announced that Apa will be replacing Kian Lawley on an upcoming movie called The Hate U Give, which is based on a book of the same name. For those who are curious, a video with Lawley using racial slurs came out, which resulted in him being booted with remarkable speed. It is interesting to note that the plan is to reshoot much of the movie in spite of the fact that it is at a very late point in its development process, though considering that its story concerns racism in the United States, this is without a doubt the most sensible move.
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