Riverdale star KJ Apa hates his famous blinking gif

Riverdale star KJ Apa has spoken about the horror he felt when a gif of him blinking went viral.

The New Zealand actor, who plays Archie Andrews in the teen drama based on the Archie Comics characters, said he was alarmed when the shot of him dramatically blinking in the hit show became a popular meme.

He told the Press Association: “I hated that gif, the first time I saw it. Lili (Reinhart, who plays Betty Cooper) was the first one to tweet it and I hated it so much.

“Why would you upload that? Also why would Warner Bros make that gif? I look like the biggest idiot. Not happy about that one.”

Apa, 20, won the starring role in the series after a worldwide talent search and said he found the immediate fame a shock.

He said: “It’s interesting because shooting our first season took six months, you feel like you’re in a bubble and nobody knows what you’re doing.

“But people know you’re shooting it because of the fans of the comics, who I soon learned are pretty intense.

“Comic Con gets a bit weird sometimes if you’re on a TV show, but in saying that it’s the core four (Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead).

“The show isn’t called Archie, it’s called Riverdale and it’s not me at the centre. People think Archie is the lead, but it’s the core four.”

He added that some of his fans had some unusual requests: “In London for Comic Con I was taking photos. I had a girl wanting to take a photo with her touching my eyebrows. I politely declined but she went out and touched my face anyway and I got a good poke in the eye.”

Apa added that one of the hardest parts of his job is keeping the secrets of the show, adding he’s already been given a scolding for giving away details.

He said: “We have been spoken to a few times because I’ve let it slip a few time with storylines in interviews. I have to watch out for that.

“I still am a bad secret keeper. I let it slip without knowing.

“None of us really know too much about season two. We know a little bit about where our characters are going.

“We have met Mark Consuelos, who is playing Hiram (Lodge), and he’s an awesome, sick guy and I think he’s going to be great for it.

“There is going to be some really interesting stuff with Archie and Hiram, with Archie dating his daughter and in the comics they have a pretty funny relationship. There is going to be some fun stuff.”

Riverdale: The Complete First Season will be available on DVD from August 14.