KJ Apa is known for playing Archie on Riverdale, but now he’s traded in the red hair for a brunette look and the guitar for… another guitar. In I Still Believe, KJ Apa plays the real-life singer Jeremy Camp, who has been huge in the Christian music scene for the past 20 years. Since the film is based on a true story, it would be easy enough for the actor to lip sync along to Camp’s tracks, but it turns out KJ Apa really is singing in I Still Believe.
The Christian-themed film tells the love story of Camp and his late wife, Melissa Camp neé Henning, who is played in the film by Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland, The Space Between Us). Melissa was diagnosed with ovarian cancer prior to her and Camp’s wedding, and if you aren’t aware of Camp’s real life, that’s about all I can say without giving anything away from the movie. “I Still Believe” is a song Camp wrote about his wife. He also wrote a memoir of the same name, which is the basis for the film.
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In the trailer for the film, it’s said that Camp has “32 number one singles” and it’s true that Camp really is that big of a deal in the Christian music scene with 32 number one radio hits. (He just didn’t have them all by age 20 as the trailer’s editing makes it seem.) But even though he’s playing a popular singer performing for huge audiences, it's Apa's singing voice that you'll hear in the film. In August 2019, the 22-year-old actor spoke to People about the project and explained that while he’s “super uncomfortable” when he sings, it all turned out for the best once he actually did his recordings. Despite that discomfort, however, Apa has actually released an album (back in 2011) and he has a band, The Good Time Boys.
“I went into the studio in Nashville — I did that first before we shot anything — and I think that really gave me perspective on the film,” Apa told People. “Having that sound and knowing what all that music is going to sound like before you go in is super important. It’s either going to boost your confidence and boost your morale or it’s going to be like, ‘Oh, man, that didn’t go so well, so what are we going to work with?’ Luckily, it couldn’t have gone better. I think people are going to love it.”
As for playing guitar, Apa had a handle on that, as well. He’s been playing guitar since he was 12 — he told Cosmopolitan in 2017 that he feels “most comfortable when I have a guitar in my hand” — and this helped him avoid one of his movie pet peeves. “My worst thing is when I’m watching a movie and I’m seeing someone play the guitar and I can clearly tell that what they’re playing isn’t what I’m hearing,” he explained to The A.V. Club.
Apa’s singing will not just be heard in the movie, but also on the film’s soundtrack, which features the New Zealander on several tracks. Apa might be playing another person in I Still Believe, but clearly he was able to let a couple of his own passions shine through.