We spoke with actor KJ Apa leading up to the release of his new film One Fast Move, which sees the Riverdale star as an ex-con with a shaved head and a passion for motorbike racing. His character, Wes, reconnects with his estranged father, Dean (Eric Dane), and ultimately falls in love with a local waitress named Camila (Maia Reficco), who has a young son Wes soon forms a strong connection with. In real life, Apa now has a son of his own and confirmed that fatherhood has affected how he’s approached his acting career, particularly in roles like Wes in One Fast Move.
“You have a kid, and you’re immediately opened up to a different way of seeing the world and seeing yourself, and it definitely has an impact on your work as an actor,” Apa told MovieWeb. “You’re dealing with human experiences. I feel like it definitely has an impact on that. It’s crazy. You know, before you have a kid, you hang out with kids, and it feels a little weird, odd, like interacting with kids. And then you have your own kid, and you start seeing kids around, and you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s just a kid.’ I was scared of kids before I had one.”
Watch Our Interview with KJ Apa Below:
As Wes, Apa races motorcycles at lightning speeds throughout One Fast Move, leading viewers to think this might have been a years-long passion of his. But in reality, it spawned just recently. “I learned how to ride before I started working on it so that I could ride,” he told us. “And then I fell in love with it. I love riding now.”
KJ Apa Praises Co-Stars Edward James Olmos & Eric Dane
Apa brushes shoulders with some veteran actors in One Fast Move, such as Battlestar Galactica alum Edward James Olmos, who plays the veteran racer who employs Wes at his shop in town. Said Apa:
“He brings so much gravity to the scenes, and to the whole story, you know? And it was very important to have a character and an actor like him that could bring that gravitas and pull everyone together.
He’s a very grounded human being, and you’re very much forced to listen to him when he speaks in real life and in front of the camera
. I’m just very grateful to have done that with him, you know, and to have had his contribution to the story was great.”
And playing Wes’ estranged father, Dean, in the film is none other than Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star Eric Dane. “He’s played some great characters since Grey‘s, but I just love what he did with Dean, you know?” Apa told us. “Eric is such a charismatic person in real life with such a big energy. And it was important to have that similar kind of magnetic charisma. And you hate [his character], but you love him, you know, at the same time, and Eric is so good at finding that balance.”