KJ Apa says Eric Dane reminded him of Luke Perry on ‘One Fast Move’

KJ Apa and Eric Dane play an estranged son and father in One Fast Move. But off-screen, the motorcycle racing movie’s costars had a much closer relationship. In fact, they bonded so much that it reminded Apa of his connection with his late Riverdale dad, Luke Perry.

The Prime Video action-adventure film stars the CW alum as Wes, a young man who, fresh out of prison and broke, decides to seek out his estranged father, Dean (played by Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria star Dane), to help him pursue his dream of becoming a professional motorcycle racer.

“He’s one of the coolest guys I’ve ever met, and he’s such a brilliant actor,” Apa tells Entertainment Weekly of Dane. “Working with him is so fun — he has such a big personality and energy that he brings with him everywhere, and he’s so likable, which is why he’s so good at playing these deeply flawed characters because you still love him, and you’re so entertained by him.”

Apa and Dane’s friendship grew as the production continued, with the elder TV statesman becoming a great mentor for the 27-year-old. At the time, Apa was about to film his final season of Riverdale, the cult favorite CW series that made him a star. Dane, who previously said he was “let go” from the long-running Shonda Rhimes medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, had been in his shoes before, so the two actors talked a lot about what Apa was going through.

“He has so much wisdom, Eric, and I was able to talk to him about a lot of experiences that I’ve had that he had gone through himself in his personal life, things that we had dealt with and struggled with from being on a successful show like that where you get a lot of attention,” Apa says. “He was a great person off-set to kind of offload a lot of stuff to and it’s not often you get to meet someone like that. The last person that I had that in my life that I could talk to was Luke Perry.”

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Perry played Apa’s father on Riverdale until he died after suffering a massive stroke ahead of season 4. “I never take it for granted when I am blessed with people like that who are much older than me that have lived out very similar experiences, because it’s quite rare to be able to work with someone like that,” he says. “I’m super grateful for it.”

One Fast Move is now available on Prime Video.