I mean zero shade to little-known character actors Brad Pitt and George Clooney, but I have to say: Austin Abrams has the best scene in their new film, Wolfs. The action-comedy, which debuts on Apple TV+ 27 September, stars Pitt and Clooney as duelling fixers who are hired to clean up the same mess. Of course, shit goes sideways, thanks to Abrams’s drug-slinging college kid with a heart of gold.
Anyway, back to the scene: Pitt’s and Clooney’s characters interrogate the poor kid in a shitty, jungle-themed motel room—and it seems like he won’t break!—until he does. Abrams promptly delivers a frantic, breathless, can’t-look-away monologue that tells the entire storey of his character, right in the face of two Mount Rushmore–level thespians. I’m still thinking about it.
When I Zoom with Abrams—who also stars on Euphoria as the kindhearted, surely Broadway-bound Ethan—I inform him of this fact. He’s clearly uncomfortable with stealing any sort of praise from Mr. Pitt and Mr. Clooney, so I ask what it was like to spend his 28th birthday at the Venice Film Festival’s Wolfs screening.
“So the movie played late—we got done after midnight, which was my birthday,” he says. “We were up on a roof, and Brad started singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ And then everyone’s singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ Then we went to this after-party, where they brought out a cake and did it again. It was a super-sweet, really surreal experience.”
For the Florida native, it’s one of those birthdays that give you plenty to think about, like where he’s been and where he’s going. In his twenties, he has played everything from a charming Netflix rom-com hero (Dash & Lily) to an abusive boyfriend (This Is Us) to, yes, one of the only sane humans in a school full of batshit California kids (Euphoria).
Now his roles are coming nearly tailor-made for his talents. If you watched Abrams crush “Holding Out for a Hero”—a jaw-dropping but damn funny physical performance—on Euphoria and wanted more, Wolfs is for you. The film sees him darting around Manhattan in his tighty-whities while somehow holding his ground against Clooney and Pitt. At times, his performance is hilarious, tragic, and hilariously tragic.
Today, though, we’re still thinking about birthdays. Mine is a couple weeks after Abrams’, so he wants to know if I’m the kind of guy who dies a little inside when anyone sings “Happy Birthday” to me. The answer is yes—who doesn’t?!—so he gives me some guidance. “Really try to not hide,” he says. “Focus on your chest and try to just feel what’s happening. It’s just a great opportunity where people are giving you a lot of love. They’re here celebrating you. They love you. They want to celebrate you.”
Below, Abrams offers more sage advice and talks about acting alongside Clooney and Pitt, what he knows about Euphoria season 3, and his involvement in director Zach Cregger’s secretive Barbarian follow-up, Weapons. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
AUSTIN ABRAMS: What’s behind you?
ESQUIRE: I’m in Esquire’s archives room.
AA: Does anyone ever go in there and look at anything?
ESQ: Yeah, people love sifting through the old magazines. There’s a lot of funny stuff—I’m looking at a very old book called Things a Man Should Know About Work and Sex.
AA: Oh, hell yeah! Let’s bust that open! Figure it all out.
ESQ: I know everyone’s asking you different versions of What was it like to work with Pitt and Clooney? But I’m curious what you learned specifically from them that you’ll take to your next project.
AA: They’re geniuses at constructing a scene. I went into Wolfs being like, Okay, I really want to learn from these guys. And you do learn a lot—and you learn a lot from osmosis. But also something that I learned is: He’s just Brad Pitt and he’s amazing. And so it’s like, if you want to be like Brad Pitt, you just have to be Brad Pitt.
I wouldn’t say I was surprised, but I was very grateful when it turned out that they were so sweet and welcoming to me. It’s really impressive, because people in their positions, they don’t have to do that. They don’t have to be welcoming. I feel like I’ve heard so many [horror] stories. With these guys, it’s not the case at all.
ESQ: Wolfs is an action-comedy, but if you really peel back the curtain, your character is a pretty complicated guy. He’s this young, lonely, confused kid who’s idolizing these two traditional versions of masculinity. It feels very of the times.
AA: Totally. If you just go off of what he says, he talks about taking some classes at Pace. He’s still living with his dad. You don’t know if there’s a mom in the picture. Yeah, I feel like there is something about the character where he’s looking toward some sort of male role-model figure. You see it with Richard Kind, who plays my dad. There’s Sinatra [memorabilia] in his apartment—even my dad is looking toward other kinds of male figures. It seems like what you see is a lost son and a lost father when it comes to their identity or their masculinity. It seems like what a lot of young men seem to be struggling with.
ESQ: I have to admit: Dash & Lily was probably my favorite pandemic comfort watch. How do we get ten seasons of Emily in Paris and no more Dash?
AA: I’m not really sure what happened, but it’s lovely to hear something like that. It happens more around Christmastime or something. But if someone says something to me like, “I’ve seen that a bunch,” it’s lovely to hear that it brings someone comfort. We all have our things that we watch every year—and to think that something that I’m in is something that people watch every year, it’s a cool thought to be a part of that ritual.
ESQ: Is that what’s fulfilling about this work for you?
AA: It’s different every time—and you don’t know really what you’re going to get. I’m just thinking about the last thing I did. [I appreciate] getting to know a different part of life, or a way people live, more deeply. Doing the work, you get to know this aspect of life that you never would have known before....There are a lot of different things that can be really fulfilling about it. It’s always a nice thought to think about someone watching [my work] and questioning something in their life. That’s why I dig a lot of Shakespeare, because his work asks a lot of questions. He never tells you the answer.
ESQ: Was Weapons the last project you worked on?
AA: Yeah. Zach Cregger is amazing. I mean, the way that he works and writes—his stuff is so deep. All of this stuff feels like there’s a deeper element to it, and it’s why I really love this work. Also, his humor is just amazing, which also sets him apart.
ESQ: What else drew you to Weapons?
AA: It’s one of those scripts that I couldn’t stop reading—I was up way later than I should have been, finishing it. It’s just very exciting. A lot of really, really great actors. Inspired story. Inspired director. And a great, great character. That’s probably the most I can say, but I’m really excited for it.
ESQ: Okay, I have to move to “Holding Out for a Hero” then. I rewatched the scene this morning.
AA: Oh, you did?
ESQ: How many weeks of choreography did it take to pull it off?
AA: I don’t know where [Euphoria creator Sam Levinson] got the idea that I could do that. Maybe he saw something that I didn’t see. But I never really had any particular sort of dancing skills, so it took a while to even get to a place where I was able to do that.
ESQ: I get it. I don’t naturally have rhythm.
AA: Okay, so imagine being you. And being like, Oh, fuck, I have to do this in a couple months. You could do it. You would just have to figure it out how to do that....It was definitely a challenge. It was nerve-racking. When I first read that, I was like, Oh my God. Also, I didn’t know if I was going to have to sing—I just remember in the script it not being completely clear that it was lip-synced. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, because that would have been insane. But yeah, it was super daunting at first. But I love dance now.
ESQ: It feels like there’s a new report about Euphoria season 3 every month. What has your experience been? Have you been asked to return?
AA: I really have no idea. I mean, because it was being geared up to go—I mean, years ago, I think.
ESQ: There was one story that said the cast was locked in to start production in January.
AA: I think it was supposed to happen, and then the strike happened. Something like that. So I couldn’t tell you. I have absolutely no idea when they’ll do it, if I would be in it or not. I hope they make it, though. I mean, I love Sam. He always feels really inspirational to work with. The show is a very inspiring thing to work on.
ESQ: Do you have any hopes, dreams, or aspirations for Ethan?
AA: I couldn’t tell you. No idea. I wish him well. [Laughs.]
ESQ: What’s next for you?
AA: A dream is just to keep working with great people and great writing. It’s almost like you have to be careful of what you want or what you desire, because it’s just a desire. It’s just a dream. It’s not real yet, you know? As I’ve gotten older, there’s also an understanding of how you actually don’t know what [a dream will feel] like when it happens. It’s not true that you’ll feel the way you think you’re gonna feel in your head, you know?
ESQ: It’s sobering, yeah.
AA: You’ve gotta be careful of fantasies and what you want in life. I mean, life can be an adventure, hopefully....You have to really go moment by moment. You have to know that if that happens, it may not give you the feeling you thought it would.
ESQ: That’s the hard thing about this age—it’s when your childhood dreams collide with whatever’s happened to your older self.
AA: Yeah, all of those thoughts you had when you were younger—then you’re hit with, like, Oh, shit. It’s not like we’re old, necessarily. It’s just that that age that once seemed far off in the distance is now here. People reading this either get it or maybe they’re freaking out by what we’re saying.
ESQ: Anything you wish I had asked you?
AA: Why didn’t you ask me what I eat for breakfast? I’m a little bit pissed off about that. [Laughs.]
Originally published on Esquire US
Sir Lewis Hamilton is suddenly on a hot streak. In early July, the seven-time Formula 1 champion won the British Grand Prix for the ninth time, setting a record for the most victories by a driver at a single circuit. It was just the latest milestone for the thirty-nine-year-old Hamilton, who has won more races and finished on the podium more times than any other Formula 1 driver in the history of the competition. But the win in England was his first in more than two years.
He followed it up by finishing on the podium in third at the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest a couple weeks later. And then a week after that, Hamilton, who was knighted a few years ago, notched another victory at the Belgian Grand Prix (after his teammate George Russell was disqualified post-race when his car was found to be underweight).
I got a chance to sit down with Hamilton at the Ritz-Carlton in Budapest the night before the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Ritz-Carlton is the official hotel partner for the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team. And I was one of a group of invited guests and prize winners who travelled from Vienna to Budapest in a convoy of Mercedes vehicles for what the Ritz-Carlton called the “Road to Legendary Car Tour.” Hamilton stopped by to chat with the group and to offer a tasting of his non-alcoholic tequila brand, Almave, which he launched last year with the spirits company Casa Lumbre.
Hamilton is taking on new challenges at the track, too. This season is his last with the Mercedes team. He announced before the season that he would be leaving after twelve years and will be driving for Ferrari in 2025. Hamilton is also going Hollywood, co-producing the much-hyped movie F1, which is scheduled for release next year and stars Brad Pitt as a former driver returning to compete in Formula 1. (Check out the teaser trailer here.)
We talked about his battle to get back on top of the podium, how he stays in shape to compete with younger drivers, calling bullshit on the F1 screenplay, getting out on the track with Brad Pitt, collaborating with director Joseph Kosinski, and how he’ll know when to walk away from racing. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
ESQUIRE: What do you get from doing something entrepreneurial, like launching Almave, which is different from everything else you’re involved in?
LEWIS HAMILTON: I think as a racing driver it’s really healthy to unplug and do other things and tap into other mediums. And when you get into the room to sit with a bunch of creatives—working with Casa Lumbre, for example, who have done who knows how many different spirits—they can explain to you the whole process. And then there’s things that perhaps you ask them that they’ve never had to think about before.
Your win at the British Grand Prix was your first time on the top of the podium since 2021. What was it like to finally get back to winning and to do it on your home turf in England?
Everyone was talking about it being this fairy tale. And it really, really was unexpected. Going into that weekend, I had no idea that that was going to be possible. And it had been such a long time. So many thoughts cross your mind. Some of them you start to potentially believe in, bit by bit. And finally, I had that day when I was able to excel, and we excelled as a team, and it just kind of shuts that all down. And it helps you rebuild again. So it was really great to be able to do it at home, in my home country, with my family around. The last race in Mercedes at Silverstone. It couldn’t have been more magical.
The past couple years have been kind of a grind for you after experiencing so much success for so long. What have you learned about yourself going through that?
It’s been mostly a battle of the mind. Keeping yourself sane, trying to pick up new tools. Ultimately, it always comes back to persistence and dedication. Hard work. It always does eventually pay off. I think I learned that life is really about how much pain you can experience and keep going, and how much you can suffer and keep moving forward, you know? And that’s life, right? It’s not how you fall; it’s how you get up. It’s how you continue to apply yourself every single day. It’s how you connect with people that you work with. I probably learned to be a better teammate in this period of time, because we’ve had more time to focus on communication.
There’s been a lot of buzz about F1, the upcoming Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt. I know you’re a producer. How did you get involved?
We were there from the beginning. There were a couple scripts out there. I had known Joe [Kosinski, the director] from when we talked about doing Top Gun: Maverick through Tom [Cruise]. Tom put me in touch with Joe, and there were discussions of being in the movie. And then we just stayed in touch. Then we all reconnected to talk about potentially doing a Formula 1 movie. And then we went through this whole process of working with a writer.
What was that like? Did the screenwriter interview you about the details of driving in Formula 1?
Ehren [Kruger, the screenwriter] basically did a ton of research, watched a lot of races, came to a bunch of races, and then went away and wrote up a script. But we would sit and talk about what racing is about. Then once he wrote the script, I would sit with him and call bullshit, basically, on the things that don’t seem real and are not what F1 is about and try to make sure that it’s as authentic as possible. Then at the same time, I started a production company, so I’m a producer with these guys. I’ve been able to be involved in all areas—so making sure the cast is diverse, making sure we’ve got a woman in a pit stop, which we never, ever had at the actual track. Hans Zimmer was someone I wanted to have doing the [music for the] movie, so we have Hans Zimmer. Joe has been amazing at including me in everything.
What types of things in the screenplay made you call bullshit?
It would just be racing scenarios. Technical jargon engineers would talk. But particularly racing scenarios and sequences between overtakes and pit stops and strategies and all those sorts of things. There may have been a crash that was like the car hits the wall and flips and lands on the wheels and keeps going, and that doesn’t happen in Formula 1.
When you were prepping for the movie, did you ever get out on the track with Brad Pitt to check out his driving? If so, how’d he do?
Yeah. We went to a track in LA. I took him out and sat in the passenger seat, and he drove. I used to be a driving coach when I was younger. It was a way of making some money part time whilst I was racing. So I’ve sat with God knows how many non-racing drivers. You can tell immediately the good ones, the bad ones. Straight away he was on it. You could tell he has it. He has it in his DNA. He’s just not been able to hone in on it like we have. But he’s got big potential.
So you’re confident he can give a realistic performance as a driver?
Yeah, but I think obviously it takes time. Ultimately, the story of a 50-odd-year-old jumping into the season and fighting against us youngsters—it’s just not the done thing. But then there’s discussing: How would you go about doing that? How much training would you have to do in order to really be able to come back and fight and react in the same way? Yeah, there’s a lot of detail that went into it.
How have you changed up your training routine over the years to stay fresh and competitive?
You definitely adapt always, and you learn you have to just watch your energy. Recovery is huge, a really big part of the process. It’s the whole 360 thing. It’s not just going to the gym. It’s how much you stretch, how much physio you end up doing, what you eat. And that’s constantly changing week by week. And obviously, depending on how much energy you have, the different time zones that you’re in.
You travel so much for your sport. Do you have rituals or secrets to make yourself comfortable when you arrive?
Not really. I listen to a lot of music. I have music set up in my room. I record music. Basically, I write and sing music. Different sorts of R&B. So I record music at night. Often in my evenings, I read. Try to meditate, mostly in the mornings. But I don’t always get to it. And then I’m focused on my sleep. Try not to slack on that ever. So there’s a cutoff time when I want to go to bed depending on what time I need to be up the first day.
In working with a partner like the Ritz-Carlton, you have a chance to do different kinds of events, like the Almave tasting we just had. Any favourite experiences?
We were just talking about this the other day. In Mexico City I went to visit a school and see the kids. I love when I work with partners that are doing practical stuff. I think that’s been a real shift. When I first joined Formula 1, we were working with partners, but less so in the human-connection space. In the last five or six years, working with partners like the Ritz-Carlton, it’s “What impact are you making? How do you give back?” When we go to a school, see youth, and see that they’re invested in children, for me, that brings real warmth to my heart. Especially as my foundation is all about getting youth who won’t have the opportunity, for example, to get into our sport, to get into STEM and channel through to a good career.
“I want to really max it out while I can and fully enjoy this sport I’ve done my whole life.”
Do you have a time frame for your career? You’re going to be starting a new process with a new team next year. Do you have a plan for how long you’d like to keep racing?
I definitely do. There are days I’m like, shoot, I don’t know how much longer I can go. There are days I’m like, shoot, I’d love a break, a proper break, because you don’t get a real big break in the season like other sports. You don’t finish until mid to late December, and then you’re back into training already in January, and that’s two times a day you’re training. There are another couple of hours of therapy that you’re doing during that time as well. So you’re not really getting a huge amount of downtime. And in February, you’re flat out running until December.
That sounds pretty gruelling.
But I do have mentally a plan of where I would like to extend to. I’ve just got to strategize and sequence things. I’m very much about sequencing, like looking at brands that I collaborate with, companies that I’m essentially starting, how I manage my time between all those, and how I’m able to dedicate myself to this job still. Is there a time when I’m not all in and I’m just not in love with it anymore? That’s the moment that hopefully never happens, in the sense that I’ve fallen out of love with it. But I will know when I need to stop.
You’ll feel it.
I want to make sure I really max it out while I can and fully enjoy this sport I’ve done my whole life. There are so many people that have finished their careers early, and I’ve spoken to many who’ve said they wish they could have just done one more year or two. And they’re like, “Stay in as long as you can!” But I don’t want to do it if I’m not good. So it’s like, how much do you want to train? When you’re twenty-two, it’s so easy to work out and be fit. There’s no recovery and you’ve got nothing else going on, no other stresses, no real responsibilities except for that one thing to go and kill. Now it’s: How can you stay sharp and be able to do all those things you have going on, and still be able to compete with those young guys in their twenties?
Does it give you particular pleasure to beat the young guys?
Not particularly. I’m super competitive naturally. I don’t care who it is. I just want to win.
No matter who it is you’re competing against.
Yeah. When I won the other day, I didn’t think anything about anybody else. I just thought about my team. I thought about people that were with me. People that have sacrificed their time away from their families. People who were giving that extra bit of time in their day when they could have left early to go home and see the kids, and they’ve given that extra time to build these parts that got us that result. That’s who I think about.
Originally published on Esquire US
We've barely recovered from the Marvel-branded bromance that is Deadpool & Wolverine (or rather, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman). Now, we're thrown this curveball of a team-up. A wordplay on two lone-wolves and not a grammatical error, Wolfs looks like it might just live up to expectations. Mainly because who doesn't want to watch Brad Pitt and George Clooney giving each other shit in matching leather jackets?
We've seen the co-stars share the spotlight before. First through Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean's franchise, and last in Coen Brothers' Burn After Reading (that was 2008! 16 years ago!). Yet this match up will see the A-listers go head to head, complete with indispensable zingers.
Filmmaker Jon Watts, who was on the director's chair for all three Tom Holland-fronted Spider-Man movies, also wrote the screenplay with the two leading men in mind, according to a chat with Empire. The film follows Jack (George Clooney) and Nick (Brad Pitt), two unacquainted professional fixers who are simultaneously called to cover up a high-profile crime.
Showing up in almost identical outfits and demeanours, the reluctant partners then set off on typical summer blockbuster action. While originally slated for a full theatrical release, Wolfs goes straight to streaming after a limited run. A strategic measure considering how poorly the star-studded Argylle fared. Still, with a sequel reportedly already approved, we're hopeful.
Hopeful not just because we're getting two big names and buddy banter in-between. More so that it would be interesting to observe how such genre and billing once a foolproof template for success pre-streaming, would perform in the current ever-evolving entertainment landscape.
This will be Pitt's pitstop (couldn't resist) ahead of his other Apple TV+ film that's unambiguously titled F1, premiering in 2025. Clooney's upcoming Netflix flick alongside Adam Sandler is likewise set to release next year.
