\n KJ Apa.<\/span> Art Streiber\/The CW<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
KJ Apa<\/strong><\/a> has grown up while playing Archie Andrews on The CW\u2019s Riverdale<\/em><\/a> \u2014 and that has come with some major personal challenges.<\/p>\n Apa, 26, admitted he wasn\u2019t always thrilled about how his character has been sexualized on screen, telling Vulture<\/a><\/em> on Tuesday, August 15, \u201cI\u2019ve been through a lot of s\u2014t with that. It can mess with your head a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n The actor recalled his evolving approach to filming shirtless scenes<\/a>, adding, \u201cAt first, as a young child, which is what I was, I thought it was cool \u2014 you almost want the opportunity to be shirtless. I was like, \u2018Yeah, let me take my shirt off. Boom!\u2019 And then you gotta consistently stay in incredible shape. It takes a toll.\u201d<\/p>\n Apa went on to say that he didn\u2019t always know how to vocalize his concerns. \u201cEven saying that I didn\u2019t feel comfortable I had a hard time with,\u201d he continued. \u201cI thought people would be like, \u2018Why not? Just f\u2014king do it, bro.’\u201d<\/p>\n Riverdale<\/em>, which is based on the iconic Archie Comics<\/a>, premiered in 2017 and skyrocketed stars Apa, Lili Reinhart<\/strong><\/a>, Camila Mendes<\/strong><\/a>, Cole Sprouse<\/strong><\/a>, Madelaine Petsch<\/strong><\/a>, Vanessa Morgan<\/strong> and Charles Melton<\/strong> to fame.<\/p>\n During the same interview with the cast, Reinhart, 26, addressed how stripping down for various Riverdale<\/em> scenes affected her own relationship with her body.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been trippy to grow up on this show and constantly see images of myself from when I was 19, 20, 21. My body does not look like that anymore. And suddenly this season we\u2019re 17 again,\u201d she said, referring to fictional characters traveling back in time<\/a> in the final season. \u201cI\u2019ve looked at myself in the mirror and laughed at myself a couple of times. I don\u2019t look like I\u2019m 17, and I\u2019m OK with that!\u201d<\/p>\n Reinhart continued: \u201cBut it\u2019s this weird feeling, like you have to fit yourself back into this box that you presented to the world when we first stepped into these characters. Just being an actor in general, you feel like you\u2019re holding yourself to a consistent standard of I must not age, and I must continue to look like I did.\u201d<\/p>\n Petsch, 28, for her part, said she has dealt with ongoing negative thoughts after appearing<\/a> in front of the camera. \u201cThe other day, I had to do a lingerie shoot and I felt so s\u2014tty about my body I cried,\u201d she shared. \u201cI tried on six different outfits and eventually found something that made me feel remotely OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Mendes, 29, clarified that creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa<\/strong> created a safe environment for the cast on set<\/a>. \u201cWe need to say Roberto is always very understanding of us, and there\u2019s nobody forcing us to do anything. It\u2019s just the nature of being on a teen show,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n![\"Riverdale](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Riverdale-Wildest-Story-Lines-15.jpg?w=700&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n KJ Apa as Archie<\/span> Dean Buscher\/The CW<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n