KEEPING UP WITH
With Ricardo Simich
Hollywood star KJ Apa is coming home to Auckland for Christmas and says he misses his mates, their Kiwi humour and the banter with the boys. “Grabbing a beer with my friends in Vancouver or in LA, compared with grabbing a beer with the boys I’ve known since I was 4, just does not compare, ” Apa tells Remix magazine’s December issue, out tomorrow.
“It’s been a few years since we shot a guy for the cover of Remix, but we’ve been paying close attention to KJ and felt this was the right time to celebrate him as one of New Zealand’s most incredible young talents,” says the magazine’s editor Steven Fernandez.
“I couldn’t believe his energy, having worked all week in Vancouver and flown into LA for one day to shoot with us. He was professional well beyond his years and has a real enthusiasm for his work. KJ shoots for magazines all around the world, but we reckon he was pretty stoked to shoot with a crew of Kiwis again.”
The 22-year-old actor, who says he can’t cook, spends 10 months of the year in Vancouver, shooting non-stop for his hit series Riverdale.
Every now and then he visits New Zealand for a weekend, but mostly spends his downtime in Los Angeles.
In the Remix Hollywood shoot, Apa dons Kiwi fashion and talks about getting his shirt off every two weeks on his hit show:
“I’ve been working out since I was 13. My earliest memories of working out are with my old man. My dad (Keneti) made me work out with him every day and he pushed me really hard, even when I didn’t want to do it. It was great, because he taught me how to work hard,” he says.
Apa also says his massive fan base thinks they know him, when it’s his Riverdale character Archie Andrews they identify with.
Apa always tries to accommodate them with a chat or a photo — reminding himself they’re fans of the show and he’s grateful for their support.
The actor, whose true passion is music, has recently finished filming I Still Believe, where he plays Christian music star Jeremy Camp.
He says he had a “pinch me” moment at a party in Beverly Hills recently, where one of his childhood heroes Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers was playing the drums.
When asked about his own band Legend, guitarist Apa says:
“Here’s the thing — everyone asks about the band, but we don’t have music ready to put out into the world yet. We’ve recorded some music, who knows if it’s any good, but I love it. I’m Legend’s biggest fan. I believe in the music, I’m proud of the music, and I can’t wait for it to come out, so people can hear it. It’s a huge rock and roll album that I recorded with my friends solely because I like playing that kind of music.”
Earlier this year, celebrity trainer and man about town, former Black Stick Dwayne Rowsell opened the “in” place to train in Auckland and has achieved the perfect work/life mix, which has seen him return to form to play hockey for NZ for the Olympics next year.
Rowsell, who has trained top model Georgia Fowler, opened the new state of the art boxing gym Studio Box in Newmarket. It has fast become the place where the A-List train — including All Black Beauden Barrett and wife Hannah, actor Grace Palmer and TV presenter Cassidy Morris.
Rowsell took a break from hockey from 2016-2018 to pursue business opportunities — and thought he was “retired” at the age of 25 but evidently had some unfinished business.
“It has been a dream of mine to play for NZ at the Olympics since I started playing hockey at age 10. To get a second opportunity now, when I thought I was retired, is massive for me and I’m giving it my all,” he tells Spy.
He last played with the Black Sticks in June 2015 in Buenos Aires at an Olympic qualifying event — hockey World League.
“I debuted for the team in 2014, getting 25 caps across tournaments in NZ, Australia and Asia. The highlight was winning gold at the Azlan Shah Tournament in 2015, beating Australia for the first time in 25-plus years.
“I managed to keep myself fighting fit through boxing and earlier this year I went back to play club hockey with my local club team. After a pretty good season I was asked to trial and made a commitment to a comeback,” he says.
Rowsell credits his professional sporting career for giving him a great foundation for business, and the temerity to pull off a new form of fitness training with Studio Box.
“When you have your sights set so strongly on a goal you just do whatever it takes to get there. I am grateful that Studio Box is performing so well and we have such a committed and talented bunch of trainers that I am able to balance both business and hockey for the next six months,” he says.