Oh man, not a good look for the CW! KJ Apa is opening up about feeling trapped while working on the hit show Riverdale.
Speaking with Demi Moore for Interview Magazine, the 23-year-old actor reflected on how his latest role in the controversial COVID-19 film Songbird has made him feel more “free.”
“I felt so free coming from a show where I feel like I’m in jail a lot of the time. There are so many restrictions on what I can and can’t do. With this character, it was like, ‘Wow, this is what it’s like to really express myself in a natural way.’ I wasn’t covered in makeup or hair products. I had long hair and a beard. I just felt free.”
Related: New Couple Alert! Lucy Hale Spotted Kissing Riverdale Daddy Skeet Ulrich!
That bad, huh? It seems to be a similar feeling for many of the show’s stars, as Lili Reinhart recently said she felt “like a prisoner” when returning to the series amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Sadly, this has become a common theme.
As many Riverdale fans know, Apa has played Archie Andrews for nearly six seasons and has gained a huge following since the pilot aired in 2017. However, he said the “pressure” of the character still gets to him sometimes.
“There’s been so much pressure in playing Archie. I’m so grateful for the show and its success, but at the same time, there’s a lot of baggage that comes with that success. I feel like the only people I can talk to about my issues are my costars, the people who can really relate to me.”
During his candid conversation, the actor went on to say that the one “amazing person” to have on set has been Cole Sprouse, who plays Jughead Jones, because he has had so much experience in the spotlight. (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, anyone?!) Unfortunately, the Last Summer star had more to unload. Sharing his frustration over his fans’ inabilities to see him as a real person, KJ admitted:
“I try and look at it from a fan’s perspective to understand the way they think. But there are times when I’m like, ‘Wow, they really have no idea that we are actual people. They can’t separate us from our characters.’ You don’t have that in other professions. You don’t dissect the life of a builder and start judging the decisions he makes in his life with his wife and kids.”
He ended this part of the interview with:
“As an actor, I will be judged on everything: my political opinions, my opinions on drugs, my opinions on the people I want to be with. Everything. It’s something I’ve had to come to terms with.”
As we previously reported, the celeb had come under fire after defending his silence on Black Lives Matter amid the protests over the police’s killing of George Floyd. Many folks on social media believed Apa should have spoken out in support of the movement since he profited from his role in The Hate U Give. But the musician didn’t agree, writing in a since-deleted tweet:
“I don’t need to post about my opinions and beliefs in order for them to be real to me. I support Black lives. But I don’t feel it’s necessary to prove to people I do by posting my attendance at these protests.”
And that is where you’re wrong, sir, as you have a large following and could have spread information. Even more so, you could have just shown some sort of support for the movement on your platform. But we digress.
Anyway, this interview might be a sign that the hit show needs to be over for the stars’ sanity! Of course, though, that would make a whole lot of fans upset. What do U guys think about KJ’s comparison to Riverdale as being like a jail? Is he overreacting? Or do U get it? Let us know in the comments (below)!
Ch-ch-check out the sexy pics from the accompanying photo shoot, with styling by Mel Ottenburg (below)!
[Image via Adriana M. Barraza/WENN & Riverdale/YouTube]
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