KJ Apa admits he was a bit worried using his Kiwi accent in new movie

Thursday, 21 August 2025

Kiwi actor KJ Apa has a new movie out, and for the first time in nearly a decade he is using his New Zealand accent on screen, something he admits he was a bit hesitant about.

The former Shortland Street star has featured in several films since his big break in the TV series Riverdale, mainly with an American twang.

But in the Prime Video movie, The Map That Leads to You, he was persuaded to use his normal Kiwi accent.

The film is based on the novel by JP Monninger, and Apa said he kept asking producer Marty Bowen if he should read the book first.

“He’s like, ‘No, it’s gonna be better if you don’t read the book because we wanna just have a fresh perspective’.

“Marty was like, ‘Well maybe you should just play it like a New Zealander.’ And I was like, ‘Hmm, I don’t know about that because I haven’t done it since I was in New Zealand when I was 16, I haven’t really used my own accent,” Apa told the Hollywood Reporter.

In the end he went along with the suggestion, calling it “exciting”.

“It’s a different kind of process when I’m using my own accent, just ‘cause it feels more like me. There’s less of a separation between me and the character, which really worked for us because it meant that all of the improvisation stuff, which is the way that (director) Lasse (Hallström) really loves to work, felt very natural.”

The movie co-stars Madelyn Cline (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery) and follows the duo falling in love while backpacking around Europe.

The official summary is: “The film follows Heather, a young woman travelling Europe with friends before starting her perfectly planned life. A chance meeting with Jack sparks an unexpected romance that leads to deep emotional discovery. As secrets and life choices test their bond, her path changes forever.”

The film is screening on Prime Video.