New Zealand actor KJ Apa revealed his famous co-star once “punched” him in the face, back when the rising actor was battling a drug addiction.
The 29-year-old said the punch was a “wake up” call from his Riverdale co-star and close friend, revealed to be former Disney star Cole Sprouse, 33. Apa opened up about his addiction on the Wildmen Podcast this week.
New Zealand Riverdale star KJ Apa recalled the incident on the Wildmen podcast. YouTube/@WildmenPodcast
“He hit me because we were in a strip club and at this time, I was doing a lot of drugs,” Apa recalled.
“A lot of my close friends were worried about me, and he had learned that I was doing drugs again and … it was a love punch,” he revealed.
Cole’s twin brother Dylan Sprouse, who co-hosts the podcast with Brendan Columbus, confirmed the incident was true because he was there.
There’s no bad blood between ‘brothers’ Cole Sprouse and KJ Apa. Instagram/@kjapa
“I made the mistake of trying to chase after you,” said Dylan as Apa confessed he was off “crying behind you”.
The co-host put it down to both Apa and Dylan having a “beautiful” and brotherly bond while filming the hit teen drama.
Apa skyrocketed to fame playing Archie Andrews across seven seasons Riverdale which ran from 2017 to 2023. Dylan took on the famous role of Jughead.
Further in the podcast, Apa admitted that after Riverdale ended he didn’t even know if he liked acting, and the “first step” to clearing his mind was “getting sober”.
“I had so many things that I was doing that was so unhealthy,” Apa recalled at a time he was “experiencing fame” for the first time.
KJ Apa rose to fame as Archie Andrews on Riverdale. Warner Bros Television
The actor revealed he has been sober for a year and a half now, but it’s been six years of “on and off”.
He has credited the change his life to the birth of his son Sasha in 2021.
