Former Shortland Street star KJ Apa talks watches, new season of Riverdale 
THE CW
Season three of Riverdale will air on Netflix later this year.
NETFLIX
KJ Apa as Archie Andrews.
DOMINIK BINDL/GETTY
KJ Apa says this season of Riverdale is a "game changer".
Kiwi actor KJ Apa says the latest season of his hit Netflix show Riverdale is a "game changer".
W Magazine caught up with the former Shortland Streeter, following his appearance at New York Comic Con - the second largest pop culture convention in the US - in support of Riverdale.
Apa plays Archie Andrews, the central character in the sprawling teen soap opera loosely based on the 50s comic book.
"I really think season 3 is going to be a game changer," Apa told W. "The stakes are higher, and this is definitely the best [season] so far."
They couldn't be much higher, as fans of the show will recall at the end of season 2 Archie was lead away by police accused of murder.
"I'm excited to see how people react to Archie's storyline. The material that I got to work with was a lot more fun and challenging. I can't wait for people to see it."
Speaking with ITN at New York Comic Con, with his co-star Lili Reinhart, Apa said, "it's not the same Archie from the comics, I'll tell you that much."
With W, Apa also discussed his recent work for Fossil watches, designing a watch face that reflects his Samoan heritage.
"The design is based off of a traditional Samoan mark-making illustration, and I also have a similar tattoo that I got when my dad become Chief of our family's village in Samoa," Apa said.
"Seeing my illustrations on the face of a digital watch is amazing."
Riverdale season three, is available on Netflix now.
