Austin Abrams on “Wolfs” and “Euphoria” Season 3 – Interview

Is it possible to steal a movie from George Clooney and Brad Pitt, two of the matinee idols of our time? With “Wolfs,” Austin Abrams proves you can.

The 28-year-old star, previously perhaps best known for dancing shirtless onstage to Bonnie Tyler's “Holding Out for a Hero” in an extravagant musical sequence in HBO's “Euphoria,” finds himself back in “Jon.” Watts' Apple TV+ comedy film again in a kind of pull-out mode. Here, wearing only his underwear and a pair of crew socks, he runs through Lower Manhattan trying to avoid two fixers (Clooney and Pitt) who struggle to clean up his mess until nightfall.

In the big-budget, minor-key comedy written and directed by Watts – in a return to adult films after his stints on Tom Holland's “Spider-Man” films – the charismatic Abrams is referred to in the script simply as a “kid.” At the beginning of this one-night film, it is assumed that he is attacked and dead after a failed one-night stand with a prosecutor (Amy Ryan). Enter Jack (Clooney) and Nick (Pitt), rival fixers who, due to a logistical confusion that turns out to be a deliberate strategy by their boss (Frances McDormand, only heard in phone conversations), have been disposed of the body and put on the evening train back. But the boy emerges from the drunken stupor of his car alive, if not quite as well, and reveals what really happened to the prosecutor in at least one rambling, nervous one-take monologue.

In a repetitive, breathless rant with clever comic timing, Abrams reveals that Kid got involved in a drug heist for the thrill of the story. And in a performance reminiscent of Griffin Dunne's manic turn in another New York night movie, Scorsese's “After Hours.”

“It's definitely a genre that's interesting to me,” Abrams told IndieWire over Zoom from his home in Los Angeles, a “2001: A Space Odyssey” poster on the wall behind him. “Something like 'Eyes Wide Shut.' I love this film, even though I know it's not always Kubrick's favorite film. I love the way it's shot and largely takes place in one night. In terms of how much it would factor into a performance, it's not necessarily a lot because what are you going to do? Are you trying to reproduce something? I try to just be present to what’s going on around me.”

Abrams had never been to the Venice Film Festival, where “Wolfs” premiered out of competition this year on a particularly sweltering early September on the Adriatic lagoon. “Luckily it cooled down enough at night where it's still hot, but you sweated a little less, about a quarter cup less,” he said. “It was crazy. It was crazy just being on the carpet with those guys and watching them make the carpet, and the whole day was something you just had to throw yourself into and go with the flow.”

When he first received the script for The Wolves, Abrams only knew that Clooney and Pitt would star. (A sequel is already planned at Apple, with Abrams expected to appear in it.) “Nobody knew anything about it except that Brad and George were in it and that Jon was directing it,” he said. “I had no idea what it was about or anything. All I got was the interrogation scene.”

Abrams said he didn't do a chemistry read with the actors. “It was a normal audition and then meeting Jon, who I had known for a while through a few other friends… A big part of it was convincing myself that it was possible to do it and with them both boys working together. You see these names and you don't think it's even going to be possible. It took me a lot of time to convince myself that it was possible.”

Of the scene in which Abrams runs through downtown New York in just his underwear and socks, he said: “Every night was the longest night. We shot that scene for, I don't know, three, four weeks, a lot longer than I thought… They just put me in the car and told me to drive the fuck over there and “walk over there,” like that quickly I could. I didn't really pay attention to where I was (in New York). They would close certain parts of the road while leaving other parts open to the public who could just walk around. There are only so many things you can turn off in New York. I would turn a corner and meet normal people. They wouldn’t see any cameras, so they’re just a little freaked out because they see a guy in his underwear walking towards them.”

So basically just another day in New York City.

Meanwhile, Apple scrapped broader release plans, ultimately allowing “Wolfs” to run in theaters for just a week before making its streaming premiere on Apple TV+ (today, Friday, September 27), and starring big stars like Clooney and Pitt, there's a film here that could do solid business with a wider theatrical window. Unfortunately, “Wolfs” is part of Apple’s ongoing bet on major projects to attract more subscribers. (Witness the recent streaming success of “Presumed Innocent,” Apple's bona fide watercooler hit starring Jake Gyllenhaal.) But that would have required Apple to have a strong theatrical partner — like Paramount, which released last year's “Killers of the Flower Moon.” “ gave a big boost.

“The vision was always for it to be widely distributed and when we saw it, we premiered it the other night and it was great to see it in front of an audience. It played really well,” Abrams said. “People have the priorities that they have that I don't know or know about, and everyone made the decision that they thought was best for them. The desire was always to see it in the cinema and it actually makes a difference.”

The question Abrams always gets asked is: What is the third season of “Euphoria” all about? After numerous starts, stops, ups and downs at HBO, the Sam Levinson-created teen drama is now slated to film in January 2025, with the return of leading actors like Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney. How Ethan will be considered by Abrams this season is another question. Ethan was the good-natured boyfriend of Kat, played by Barbie Ferreira, who cut ties with the series after the character was relegated to the sidelines in Season 2 – and that included a tough breakup with Ethan that some viewers felt was betrayal.

Abrams said that while he was “not tired” of being asked about “Euphoria” and the start of the new season, he added, “I just don't have anything to say about it, simply because I don't know.” If they do a third season, do I expect to be included in the third season? I would like to be there. I loved working on this project. That’s all I can really say.”

The new season is said to include a time jump – appropriate given the young cast and the fact that Season 2 premiered almost two years ago, in early 2022 – and given Ethan's split from Kat, there may not be a place for Abrams this time around. Who knows if he would still have contact with his classmates like Rue (Zendaya)?

“One hundred percent. Fully. You got it.”

Abrams will next star opposite Julia Garner and Josh Brolin in “Weapons” from “Barbarian” director Zach Cregger, which wrapped filming last July. Set in a small community in Florida, it revolves around a series of disappearing children with a supernatural basis.

“It has a little bit of the same feel of 'Barbarian,'” Abrams said. “It follows different people and it’s all intertwined, that kind of style. I can't say much about it because I don't know how they plan to present it to the public… A big part of what sets Zach apart is his comedy and how sharp and brilliant it is.

Abrams also stars in Ethan Berger's upcoming “The Line,” in which he plays a fraternity pledge who is subjected to brutal hazing drills. Looking ahead, Abrams said his goal is to “continue to work with great directors.” I would really like to work with some classic directors that I grew up watching. To be able to take on this task and be up to the challenge.”

That would require him to do a lot of homework, but Abrams said, “I Do lots of homework. I try not to talk about these things so much, so I don't know how they are portrayed. Maybe it seems that way to me (I don't), which is a good thing. You don't want to show homework. That’s the whole point.”

“Wolfs” is now streaming on Apple TV+.