Riverdale Season 4 Interview: KJ Apa on Archie’s Relationships and Post-High School Plans

Season four of The CW’s Riverdale will open with a tribute to Luke Perry and his character, Fred Andrews. The new season will also find Jughead attending a different school while Archie, played by KJ Apa, deals with life without his dad.

The cast of Riverdale was once again a huge draw at the San Diego Comic Con. In addition to handling questions from fans, KJ Apa talked about season four during our roundtable interview. He didn’t give away much in the way of spoilers (thankfully), but he did provide a little sneak peek into what’s in store.

Riverdale season four will premiere on October 9, 2019.

Tell us about Archie’s relationship with Veronica this season. And is Archie’s mom now the caregiver?

KJ Apa: “Yeah, both of them have a lot going on in their lives right now so they need each other more than ever. And I think, you know, in terms of just because they know each so well that both are so easy to approach in a time of need like that. Also, with Archie’s dad being absent this season we get to spend a lot more time with Archie and Mary which is a relationship we never really got to know quite well. So, yeah, it’s exciting.

I think me and Molly (Ringwald) have already had some amazing scenes together so far. It’s been getting good to know her more, getting to know how our characters interact with each other more. Because we never got to do that it still feels new, the relationship. But, yeah, there’s a lot of fun stuff. I think a lot of the stuff this season is relationship stuff, especially between the core four, figuring out things that we didn’t know beforehand.”

Riverdale star KJ Apa
KJ Apa as Archie in ‘Riverdale’ (Photo: Diyah Pera © 2019 The CW Network)

What’s the relationship like now between Archie and the other members of the core four?

KJ Apa: “From the start of the season? I mean, because of Fred passing away, you know they’re all there for him and they’re really tight. But, yeah, everyone is solid. Everyone is solid right now.”

So how is it for Archie with Jughead going to another school?

KJ Apa: “It’ll be tough, it’ll be tough. I think it’s always hard when your best mate moves away. I think it’s going to be tough for everyone. I know it’s tough for Betty as well. And I think that also with him being gone and Archie spending more time with the girls I think also brings up more problematic issues that we might have to deal with.”



What is his mental state like during this time?

KJ Apa: “I mean, obviously not that great. Yeah, the first episode is a very real episode, I think, for all of us. We had to dig deep and, you know, it’s not easy but I think we did the right thing and Roberto wrote a script that really allowed us to appreciate what we were doing and feel it.”

Veronica and Betty are apparently working on their college applications in the new season. Do you have any indication what Archie hopes to be doing in the future or is he just kind of focused on getting by?

KJ Apa: “I don’t see him… Personally, I don’t see him going to college. I think Archie, he’s got his dad’s business. Yeah, I never really saw him going to college. And I think it’s also cool to…it’s also another thing to show the fans is like not everyone has to go to college, that there are other ways to live your life. You know, I didn’t go to college. I think people think you can only be successful if you do it the way that everyone does it, which is not true. So, I think that would be a good example for people to see that.”

Will there be much interaction between Archie and Cheryl this season?

KJ Apa: “With Cheryl? Oh geez, I don’t know. I hope not She’s a little drama. Cheryl’s all drama, man. Yeah, I’m tired of Cheryl’s drama. Give me a break for once.”