KJ Apa's surprising new movie gig

Kiwi mega-star KJ Apa is starring with country music legend Shania Twain in the new movie I Still Believe.

Apa has lead billing in the biopic, based on the life of Christian music star Jeremy Camp, which started filming in Alabama this week.

Twain, 53, and 21-year-old Apa are sure to have plenty to discuss in the "co-star icebreaker conversation".

In 2004, Twain bought Motatapu Station in the South Island for over $20 million and last December she performed at both ends of the country in her first New Zealand concerts, as part of her Now tour.

The multi-Grammy award winner will play Camp's mother Terry and Forrest Gump star Gary Sinise will play his father Tom.

Country music stars Britt Robertson, Melissa Roxburgh and Nathan Dean Parsons are also in the movie about Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Camp who has sold more than 5 million albums.

This week Camp posted a video online from the set to mark day one of filming. He has said he is honoured to have the Riverdale star playing him.

The movie is a dream combination of acting and music for Apa, whose role on Riverdale as Archie Andrews has seen him prove his music credentials in both singing and playing guitar.

Last week, he finished recording an album in Seattle with his Riverdale co-star Rob Raco and their band, Legend. In 2011, aged 14, he released a nine-track electric guitar album called The Third Room.

Last year he was a surprise hit when he took the stage with his guitar at Coachella during Norwegian DJ Kygo's set.

And last weekend he hopped on stage and strummed for a quick guitar-only performance during the Hangout Music Fest in Alabama — believed to have been part of filming for I Still Believe. Apa politely asked the festival crowd to put away their phones.

This article was originally published at nzherald.co.nz and is reproduced here with permission