KJ Apa Reveals How He’s Transforming Into Jimmy Stewart for Upcoming Biopic on ‘Today’

No stranger to undergoing a physical transformation for a role, KJ Apa is ready to take on the likeness of James “Jimmy” Stewart in an upcoming biopic about the Hollywood star.

“You have to change a few things up with process and stuff like that to get really specific things,” the Riverdale alum said of how he’s prepping to play Stewart on the Wednesday, August 13, episode of Today With Jenna & Friends. “His voice, I think, was one of his most distinct characteristics, and his physicality. He was a tall guy. He was a little bit lanky. So, focusing on all that is definitely gonna be important.”

Apa also said he was “ecstatic” to find out he booked the part, calling it a “huge honor” to help bring Stewart’s legacy to the big screen. “I mean, he’s such a huge American icon. I’ve loved all of his movies — It’s A Wonderful Life, of course,” he shared. “And to play someone that I respect and a man of that generation, yeah, it’s a dream for me as an actor.”

Apa’s casting as Stewart for the biopic was announced on August 5. The film will chronicle Stewart’s early career days and work as a combat pilot in World War II, leading up to him starring in the iconic 1946 film It’s A Wonderful Life.

“I have always been a huge James Stewart fan and feel so honored I get to bring his story to life,” Apa said in a statement to Variety. “As someone from New Zealand, I’ve long admired that generation of American men who stood for patriotism, integrity, and a deep sense of duty. It is important to me to give back to a country that has given me so much, and what better way to do that than by honoring a man who served it with great honor.”

The movie will also star Jason Alexander as Louis B. Mayer, Max Casella as Frank Capra, Sarah Drew as Hedda Hopper, Julian Works as Second Lieutenant Martinez, and Jen Lilley as Gloria Hatrick McLean.

Stewart’s daughter Kelly Stewart-Harcourt will serve as an executive producer on the project. “My family and I are delighted and excited that KJ Apa has agreed to play my father in this film,” she told Variety earlier this month. “In addition to his considerable acting skills, KJ’s enthusiasm for the project will only add to the energy and depth he will bring to the role.”

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While fans will have to wait until next year for the film’s premiere, viewers can soon catch Apa alongside Madelyn Cline in the new Prime Video movie The Map That Leads to You.

“There’s a lot of traveling. The characters are all traveling through Europe, and that’s kind of the journey that they go on as they get to know each other and fall in love,” Apa shared on Jenna & Friends. “[My character] Jack is kind of more spontaneous and wants to live in the moment, given his current circumstance that people will learn in the film. And she’s more by the book, likes to schedule everything. And they learn and feed off of each other in that way.”

Filming across Europe was not as glamorous as one might think. “It was the first time I went to Barcelona. It’s very hot there,” Apa noted. “I have to cover my tattoos and stuff like that, so in hot weather, it’s sticky. Melty, sticky, but it was good. It felt like a big holiday.”

The Map That Leads to You, Movie Premiere, Wednesday, August 20, Prime Video