KJ Apa on Ellen DeGeneres Show: Raves about NZ, gets fright of his life

KJ Apa raved about his home country before receiving a massive shock on Ellen today. Photo / Ellen

Kiwi actor and Riverdale star KJ Apa got the shock of his life on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today as he was discussing with the comedian whether New Zealand or Australia is the better country.

KJ Apa raved about his home country, calling it "the most beautiful place on earth" and shared with Ellen that his Kiwi accent can be a shock to people: "A lot of people think I'm from Australia.

"All the time at least once a day I get mistaken to be Australian (sic)."

Ellen replied: "You sound like you're angry about that, like that's a competition."

Apa said he "definitely" liked New Zealand better than Australia, to which Ellen responded "Just settle down, my wife's from Australia."

The former Shortland Street star proceeded to plead his case: "But in New Zealand there's no predators, there's nothing that can kill you there," Apa said.

"There are things that can kill you anywhere you go," Ellen responded as the audience broke into fits of laughter.

In the midst of their light-hearted banter, the tables were suddenly turned on Apa - literally - as an actor dressed as his Riverdale character Archie Andrews jumped out of what had been disguised as a coffee table.

The star shrieked, spilt his drink and leapt out of his chair, running around the stage and shouting expletives.

.@KJ_Apa is adorable even when he’s getting scared. pic.twitter.com/bVVkn4wcDA

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) February 17, 2020

Eventually regaining his composure, Apa returned to his seat and a cackling Ellen.

"He's lucky", Apa said of the stuntman. "He's lucky I didn't give him one."

During the interview, Ellen also brought up a shirtless photo of Apa and asked him about his gym routine. She also played the censored birthday video the 22-year-old sent her, naked from the balcony of his apartment.

With his reflection appearing in the video he said: "I really hope we can meet one of these days and hope you have a really special day."

"I knew immediately after I did that, I had the best video out of all the videos. In my mind i was thinking I didn't just want to do a normal video," he explained.

Ellen responded: "That's when most people think about me, when they're outside on their balcony naked."