KJ Apa has called out his rumoured musical alter ego Mr. Fantasy for allegedly stealing his image.
When the TikTok sensation burst onto the music scene last year, many fans speculated that he was the musical alter ego of the Riverdale actor due to their striking resemblance, including identical tattoos.
However, Apa confused fans on Wednesday when he posted an Instagram video calling out Mr. Fantasy for stealing his image and ruining his career by turning him into a joke.
Addressing the speculation for the first time, the New Zealand-born actor said, “I have to (talk about) it now because it’s hurting me, and my career, and there was recently a music video that was released that included a bunch of people who were really close to me by a guy who’s completely and utterly stolen my image and misappropriated my image and my likeness. And I think we all know who we’re talking about.”
Mr. Fantasy, who wears a black bob wig, oversized sunglasses, fake teeth and comedically quirky clothes, released the music video for his song Do Me Right last week, featuring cameos from Apa’s former Riverdale co-stars Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart and Madelaine Petsch. The star-studded video also featured appearances from Dave Franco, Nick Jonas, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sombr and Zoey Deutch, among others.
Apa continued, “It’s f**ked up because I just lost on a huge job and can no longer go in for serious work because people think that I’m a joke because of this guy. And I don’t know what to do about it other than bring it here and do everything that I can to protect myself because it’s completely f**king disrespectful and completely wrong to do that.”
The 28-year-old insisted that it was “completely wrong” to take a person’s image and “use it for their own success”.
“I can’t just sit back and watch it happen and see my life literally, everything that I’ve worked hard for, now come to a halt because of this f**king idiot,” he stated. “Look in the mirror and tell yourself that you’re not a f**king liar and a thief because that’s exactly what you are.”
In the comments, Deutch apologised for appearing in the Do Me Right video, adding, “I had no idea it was affecting your life like this.”
Mr. Fantasy, who speaks in a British accent, has yet to respond to the video. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year, he declared that he was “not bothered” by the speculation that he was really Apa.
