“I think that’s a pretty good comparison,” KJ told me during The CW’s day at TCA, where he joined his fellow castmates and the show’s producers in promoting the show (see photo below). “I didn’t go back and watch [the cartoon series],” he said. “I did do some research about it and learned the basics, but I didn’t draw too much from the comics, either. This is very different and when you watch the whole series you will see that. If we had the same situations from the comics nobody would watch.”
Everything from teacher/student relationships to mental illness to homelessness gets the Riverdale treatment providing some juicy fodder for KJ and the others to work with. But who is this guy we are supposed to accept as our new Archie? Where did he come from? And what will he be hiding from viewers? I went in search of answers to these questions and others after the Riverdale session.
Archie was always somewhat of a scrawny nerd, but in Riverdale he’s quite buff. Did you have to change your physique for the role?
KJ: I’ve exercised my whole life. My dad got me into it when I was young, so I’ve been training for a long time. It was something I didn’t have to think about going in [to the show], which was good.
We have to talk about the tattoo you are hiding for the series. There's a picture of it on Twitter feed (below) for all to see.
KJ: Ha! I do have a traditional Samoan tattoo on my right shoulder, and yes, I have to hide it. I got it when I was 15 and my dad became a High
Chief of Samoa, which was a big deal for me and for him. I had no idea I was going to act at the time. I have to cover it up for the show, pretty much for every episode.
Was there talk of making Archie a little more edgy and showing the tattoo?
KJ: I don’t think so and not at the moment. Also, Archie’s not Samoan, with the red hair, so it doesn’t quite work.
You’re not a natural redhead?
KJ: My hair is dark brown, so that was a real change. I’m getting it bleached every two weeks and it’s sore. I have no idea how women do this. I’ll probably be bald by the end of the show.
Do you like yourself as a redhead?
KJ: Everyone seems to think I look better. But none of them have seen me with my normal hair color. I guess I’m used to it now. Only 2% of the population has red hair so I do feel special. Now it looks kind of normal and I almost can’t recall my natural hair color. The advantage is I can go back to my normal hair color and no one will recognize me and I can go out for other roles. I’m looking at that as an advantage, but as soon as we finish shooting I’m back to my natural color.
Was it the fact that this is a completely different take on the comic books appealing?
KJ: If you go too close to the comics it’s not going to appeal to a lot of people. If you go too far away from it it’s not going to appeal, either. I think we kind of sit right smack bang in the middle. We create the same iconic relationships between the characters but it has to be a little bit different for everyone to like it.
Why do you think the Archie comics have had such longevity?
KJ: I don’t know. What I first thought about this was that it was a random idea, a kid with red hair between two beautiful girls. How often does that happen? That’s what makes it so great and so unique.