KJ Apa has opened up about what it means to hold a traditional title in his Samoan village.
Joining American talk show 'Jenna & Friends' to promote his new movie 'The Map That Leads to You', KJ delved into his heritage.
Host Jenna admitted she'd done her homework on the Kiwi-samoan actor and were intrigued to learn he carries the important role.
They spoke about how KJ’s father is a chief of their Samoan village, and that KJ has also been granted the title.
In 2022, he was given the Samoan chiefly title 'Savae' in a traditional saofa’i ceremony in his hometown of Moata’a, Samoa – officially making him a matai (chief).
“The title my dad holds is a very old title that’s in our family, called the Tupa’i,” KJ explains. “He got his title about 5 or 6 years ago now, and his father had it, so it was bestowed on him after his father passed away.”
“It’s a beautiful tradition that we do in Samoa, and it’s an honour to be able to receive that from my village.”
Apa shared the milestone on Instagram, posting a photo from the ceremony.
When asked about his responsibilities as chief, KJ said he leaves most of the work to his dad, who visits more often.
“For me, I just think that Samoans are proud of me showing my work to a world stage and that I get to do that is so amazing.”
“It’s a very small community of people, Samoans, but they are everywhere.”
He uses Dwayne Johnson as another example of a celebrity from the same heritage.
“He’s really the guy,” KJ says in reference to being proud of his Samoan culture on a world stage.
They’re both the men. It’s epic seeing that representation on our screens – KJ is making not just his village proud, but all of Aotearoa too.
