FORT WORTH, Texas — KJ Apa is stepping into some big shoes.

The 29-year-old New Zealander’s breakthrough role came nearly a decade ago on “Riverdale,” where he played Archie Andrews of Archie Comics fame. From there, he appeared in films including “The Hate U Give,” “I Still Believe” and “The Map That Leads to You.”

Apa’s latest role is as Jimmy Stewart in the film “Jimmy,” which tells the true story of the Academy Award winner’s military service in World War II and how that shaped his role as George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

“Jimmy” is directed by Aaron Burns and written by Justin Strawhand. In addition to Apa, the film also stars Kara Killmer, Neal McDonough, Max Casella, Christopher McDonald, Sarah Drew, Rob Riggle, Julian Works, Jemma Donovan and Jen Lilley.

Apa was in Fort Worth for the “Jimmy” premiere and spoke with the Star-Telegram about the film, which is now playing in theaters.

The conversation delves into what it was like to portray an icon. There’s also some conversation about his time in Fort Worth.

[This interview has been edited for clarity and length.]

Q: Do you remember your first memory of Jimmy Stewart?

A: My first memory of Jimmy Stewart was a very vague scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Q: Have you rewatched it since making “Jimmy?”

A: I haven’t watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” since shooting this. But I bet it’d be a very different experience now.

Q: What I think is interesting about the relationship between Jimmy and Frank Capra is how they keep showing up for each other. Frank needs Jimmy to bring his words to life, and Jimmy needs Frank to shape his trauma into something positive. For you and Max Casella, how did you guys show up for each other on this movie?

A: I mean, my favorite scenes are with Max. I think because the nature of Jimmy and Frank’s relationship is kind of similar to our relationship, where there is a natural affection there. We had great scenes, you know? That first scene that the movie begins with, where Frank is pitching Jimmy “It’s a Wonderful Life,” actually wasn’t written as the first scene, but I feel like it was cool that they put it there. It kind of sets the tone for the movie.

Q: I’m curious about the scenes where Jimmy is flying combat missions. For a lot of it you’re wearing a respirator, so we just see your eyes and the top of your face. How did you approach those scenes?

A: Those scenes were really interesting because we shot that in basically half of a plane on a gimbal, and they would just shake the thing around with a green screen everywhere. You had to just imagine what was going on. Pretty repetitive. And all of that gear, it’s pretty limiting for movement and stuff like that. Knowing you had all that stuff on, I guess, it’s just making sure Aaron’s getting all the emotion he needs for the story.

Q: I feel like a lot of people are going to learn more about Jimmy Stewart from the film. For you, what’s something that you learned about yourself doing this film?

A: I think a character of this magnitude, and such a real famous person who’s beloved by so many people. Something that I learned about myself is that you just trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to take risks. I think this movie gave me a lot of confidence.

Q: We’re here in Fort Worth for the premiere. Have you spent much time here?

A: Not at all, no.

Q: Do you plan to sightsee at all?

A: I went to the zoo already, which was cool, saw a rhino. It was a pretty cool experience.

Q: This is a good place to have this since Jimmy has so many ties to Fort Worth. He made a movie here in the 1950s, he was a big supporter of the zoo, and he narrated a short film about the city.

A: Totally, I think it’s great that they’re doing that. We all know Jimmy was a friend to [Fort Worth], and obviously, he had a really special place in his heart. It’s cool to be here to see it in person.

©2026 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Visit star-telegram.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.