'Riverdale' star KJ Apa says late Luke Perry taught him how to live in the public eye: 'Privacy is everything'
KJ Apa, who plays Archie Andrews in 'Riverdale', revealed that in the short time he got to spend with late actor Coy Luther "Luke" Perry III, who played his on-screen father, Fred Andrews, had definitely impacted him.
Perry stole the hearts of teenagers around the world as Dylan McKay on 'Beverly Hills, 90210' from 1990 to 1995 and 1998 to 2000. Recently, Archieverse fans adored him on The CW series 'Riverdale' where he played the role of Fred Andrews, Archie Andrews' (KJ Apa) father.
Fans witnessed the cast of 'Riverdale' say goodbye to Fred with an emotional episode in the beginning of Season 4. Actor Luke Perry passed away on March 4, 2019, at the age of 52 due to a stroke and it seems his legacy still lives on with his co-stars especially KJ Apa.
Apa said Perry taught him about protecting privacy while being indulged in the industry. "I think privacy is everything, really do work hard on protecting my privacy, my home, my family, the people I love. Luke taught me that," Apa told Mr Porter's The Journal.
Apa revealed how he came to terms with accepting the fact that his on-screen father had passed away. Apa said, “I had never gone through anything like that before. I’ve never lost anyone close to me, so it was a really hard time. It’s still hard.”
“Going to work, I can just feel that he’s not there anymore. We had a really, really, really good relationship, me and Luke. He was just kind of a guy that kept us, especially me, grounded because he’d been through all of this stuff. I was so blessed to have him in my life to say, ‘Maybe don’t do that,’ or, ‘This is a good idea.’ Just giving me advice. I miss him. I just miss talking to him. I miss listening to him," Apa continued.
Perry's co-stars from the thriller series were all shaken by the sudden news as tributes began to flow on the day of Perry's first anniversary of his death. Lili Reinhart who plays Betty Cooper on 'Riverdale' poured out a warm message, "I had a dream last night that I saw Luke...and I hugged him so hard and cried into his shoulder, telling him how much we all miss him. Looking back on it this morning, I think his spirit was visiting me in my sleep, letting me know he's smiling brightly on the other side."
Talking about the last year, Apa revealed, "Last year was probably the hardest year of my life. It made me really think, what kind of man do I want to be? And I'm still figuring it out."