KJ Apa Takes ‘Full Responsibility’ For His Late-Night Car Accident Last Month

KJ Apa recently opened up about the car accident he was involved in in September.

At that time, the actor, who plays the role of Archie Andrews in “Riverdale,” was on a 45-minute drive home after filming for 16 hours straight. Apa was obviously burned out, and he admitted that he should’ve pulled over and slept.

“That was just a one-off accident, and it was a mistake on my part. I should have pulled over and gone to sleep instead of battling my way home. But I learned from it. It was a blessing in disguise. I came out unscathed, and I thank God that I’m okay – it could have been a lot worse,” he told Esquire.

Following the accident, Warner Bros. issued a statement after they were accused of overworking their cast and crew. “The safety of the cast and crew on all of our productions is of paramount importance to the Studio. Productions adhere to the Screen Actors Guild-mandated turnaround time of 12 hours from wrap time to next day call time for cast members. In accordance with industry standard policy, if any cast or crew member feels tired or unsafe at any time after working, the Studio will provide a taxi, a driver or a hotel room upon request,” the statement read.

One month after the incident, Apa confirmed that their filming schedule has not changed, but he doesn’t mind. “It’s still a requirement for actors to drive to work, which is fair enough. The crew works longer hours than we do, and they have to drive back and forth to work every day,” he said.

And after what happened, Apa definitely learned a thing or two about himself and life in general. “It puts things in perspective for actors on other shows; when you’re driving home, you’ve got to be mindful and make sure your mind’s right and that you’re not tired. I was really lucky the production was there for me and helped me the whole way, which made me feel looked after,” he said.

Apa stars in “Riverdale” Season 2, which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT on The CW.