With Zach Cregger’s horror-thriller Weapons obliterating the U.S. box office during its opening weekend, the praise for Austin Abrams continues to roll in. Abrams plays James in the film, a drug-addled squatter who stumbles upon the abducted children who suddenly vanish in the middle of the night. Not only have fans lauded Abrams’ gripping turn, but so too has Cregger, who recently admitted that Abrams was the only original cast member to remain on board throughout the movie’s various iterations.
Of course, those familiar with Abrams’ work are not surprised that he steals the show in Weapons. From romantic leading characters in Dash & Lily to a bullying teenager in Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark, to a victim of toxic abuse in Euphoria, Abrams is a supremely talented young actor on the rise who is bound to raise his profile considerably after taking the limelight in Weapons.
Who Is Austin Abrams?
Netflix
Austin Abrams is a fast-rising American actor who earned his first acting credit in the 2011 direct-to-video movie Ticking Clock. Balancing movie and TV performances from the start of his career, Abrams spent the first five years appearing in everything from Gangster Squad and Kings of Summer to Shameless and Silicon Valley.
In 2015, Abrams appeared in the delightful coming-of-age drama Paper Towns and landed his first recurring TV role in The Walking Dead. In nine episodes of TWD, Abrams played Ron Anderson, an outbreak survivor in Alexandria who becomes an enemy. Abrams began stealing scenes in TWD, which led to bigger, starring roles in movies and TV as his career continued to flourish.
Additional TV credits for Abrams include The Americans, SMILF, This is Us, Dash & Lily, and Euphoria. On the big screen, Abrams began standing out more and more in such movies as All Summers End, Tragedy Girls, Brad’s Status, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Do Revenge, The Starling Girl, The Line, Wolfs, and most recently, Weapons.
Praise for Austin Abrams in ‘Weapons’
Warner Bros. Pictures
Among the heaping praise for Zach Cregger’s Weapons is Abrams’ performance as James, a homeless drug addict and burglar who pawns items to pay for his addiction. Once James happens upon the missing children that incite the plot in a basement he breaks into, viewers drastically shift their perspective regarding James’ morality.
Not only does Abrams steal the spotlight from the talented leads, Julia Garner and Josh Brolin, but given his past performances, he also plays a much different character than his fans are familiar with and does so with convincing results. In addition to various reviews singling out Abrams’ performance, Cregger also extolled Abrams for sticking with him during an overhauled cast resulting from a writer’s strike.
Weapons was originally set to star Pedro Pascal, Brian Tyree Henry, Renate Reinsve, and Abrams. Once the strike forced the others to bow out, Abrams was the only one who remained. Speaking about Abrams’ loyalty, Cregger told EW, “He hung tough with me. That’s my dude right there.”
As for Abrams’ view on remaining with Cregger, the actor added:
“I loved the part and I didn’t wanna let it go. I’d seen Barbarian with a friend. I remember when it cut to Justin Long in the car, I just knew I loved whoever made that movie. I was able to get in contact with Zach, and then it turned out he was making something. He thought I was a good fit for it, potentially…. I loved the part and I didn’t wanna let it go. So I just really held on ’cause I really wanted to do it.”
Beyond an entire Reddit thread dedicated to praising Abrams’ performance in Weapons, Cregger has already cast Abrams in his next Resident Evil movie. Given the streak he’s been on recently, it would not be surprising if Abrams steals the show in Resident Evil as well.
Austin Abrams Is No Stranger To Stealing the Limelight
HBO
Those who’ve followed Abrams’ career closely know that he is no stranger to hogging the limelight. Whether playing a bit role as a torturously hazed college student in The Line or an abusive boyfriend in This Is Us, Abrams has the natural charisma and genuine acting talent to deliver versatile, magnetic performances across a wide variety of genres. Whether a bit role or a leading part, Abrams excels.
However, there are three specific projects in which Abrams stood out more than his costars and completely stole the spotlight. They include Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark, Dash & Lily, and Euphoria; three wildly different projects that highlight Abrams’ versatility.
‘Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark’
In the teen horror outing Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark, Abrams is the most memorable cast member among a large ensemble of talented young actors. He plays Tommy Milner in the film, a vile and loathsome local town bully who pranks his classmates by locking them in a haunted house. After being attacked and morphed into a hideous zombie scarecrow, Tommy’s supernatural presence looms over the rest of the film like a sinister specter. Despite his limited runtime, Abrams chewed up the scenery and made viewers genuinely fear and abhor Tommy.
‘Dash & Lily’
One year after playing Tommy the bully, Abrams delivered a charmingly magnetic turn in Dash & Lily, a romantic Christmas dramedy on Netflix. In arguably his finest TV performance to date, Dash is so far removed from Tommy that it’s hard to believe the same actor plays both roles.
Equal parts You’ve Got Mail, Serendipity, and The Notebook, Dash & Lily follows the title characters — a cynical charmer and a hopeless romantic — as they communicate via a journal that makes the rounds throughout New York City. Although his starring title role was meant for the spotlight, Abrams is so confident and commanding that his scene partners often recede into the background.
‘Euphoria’
Finally, mention must be made of Abrams’ outstanding turn in HBO’s polarizing teen drama Euphoria. Abrams played Ethan Lewis in 13 episodes of Euphoria from 2019 to 2022. One of the few normal teenagers who aren’t prone to drug and sex addictions, Abrams often took the attention away from much showier performances by actors playing much more colorful characters.
Ethan’s romance with the toxic and abusive Kat Hernandez (Barbie Ferreira) in Euphoria showcases another different side of Abrams’ acting aplomb. Neither the bully nor the romantic lead, Abrams’s ability to steal scenes by playing a prototypical teenager is no easy feat, especially opposite such powerhouses as Zendaya. Yet, fans wholeheartedly root for Ethan when he realizes Kat has been gaslighting him and finally musters the strength to break up with her.
No matter the genre, format, or size of the role he plays, Austin Abrams is a skyrocketing actor who steals scenes with the best of them. His standout turn in Weapons is just the latest example of his showstopping versatility, which will undoubtedly continue when he reunites with Cregger for Resident Evil and Brolin for Whalefall.
Release Date
August 8, 2025
Runtime
128 minutes
Producers
Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz
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