KJ Apa, Madelyn Cline reflect on roles in 'Riverdale' and 'Outer Banks'

KJ Apa and Madelyn Cline have become close friends and their chemistry is off the charts in their new film The Map That Leads to You.

During an interview, Apa and Cline discussed rising to fame through their roles in Riverdale and Outer Banks respectively.

Apa, who played Archie in Riverdale’s seven seasons, noted that he developed an identity crisis due to the length of time he spent filming the show. 

He was 17 when he landed the coveted role, and 26 by the time the show ended in 2023. He was also a new father, having welcomed his son Sasha Vai Keneti, in September 2021. In 2024, he went through a breakup with his girlfriend Clara Berry.

"When I finished that show, I went through a year of really having to regather who I was, like re-remember who I was," he told People.

"I definitely had this crisis of identity with a whole lot of other things that I was going through. Being a dad, my son being one year old at the time, going through a breakup with his mom and navigating all of that while trying to pick up the pieces of who I was," he shared.

"But I look back and I'm so grateful for it because I asked for this life," the I Still Believe star added. "I asked to be here and this is what it all comes with. And I am grateful for it and I'm glad that I went through it."

As for Cline, she’s happy sad about the end of Outer Banks. 

"It's happy, sad," Cline said about leaving behind her role as Sarah Cameron and her hometown Charleston when the show ends.

"I love Charleston. As long as my parents are here, I will probably always come back to Charleston. It is very much a part of me [but] home isn't here anymore. I get homesick for L.A. or even New York. For me, home is where your friends are and that's what makes me happy," she confessed.

“So I will miss it in a way, but I think we’re all filled with such gratitude and we're very, very happy and truly so lucky for the experience," she said of herself and Outer Banks costars’ feelings.

"But I think we all kind of feel like it's time and we've been playing these characters for so long. We're all very excited to step into some different shoes," she added.

KJ Apa and Madelyn Cline's The Map That Leads to You is streaming on Prime Video.