Austin Abrams Talks Wild Ending, Willow Joke That Went Viral

[This story contains major spoilers for Weapons.]

Weapons is a watershed moment for star Austin Abrams. 

The scene-stealer of Zach Cregger’s mystery-horror film is on the verge of going from one of the names atop a call sheet to the name atop a call sheet. The 28-year-old Florida native has already booked the starring role in Cregger’s next film, Resident Evil, and he’s currently leading Brian Duffield’s highly anticipated adaptation of Whalefall for 20th Century.

Weapons chronicles a collection of characters in Maybrook, PA, as they orbit the baffling disappearance of 17 schoolkids at 2:17 AM. Abrams was a part of Cregger’s original cast that once featured the likes of Pedro Pascal. But due to the delay caused by 2023’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Pascal’s crowded schedule forced him to exit the role of Archer Graff. The rest of the main cast also followed suit, but Abrams became the lone exception who was willing to wait it out and not pursue other work while Cregger reshuffled the deck.

“I just wanted to do Weapons,” Abrams tells The Hollywood Reporter. “When [Cregger’s Barbarian] cut to Justin Long [to begin its second act], I immediately thought, ‘Whoever the fuck made this movie, I fucking love this person.’ So when I got out of the theater, I was like, ‘I need to figure out how to meet this guy and work with this guy.’ And it’s so rare that it actually happens.”

As for his Resident Evil casting, Abrams can only speculate as to how much his loyal gesture influenced Cregger’s decision to have him carry his original story in the video game-based franchise.

“I don’t think it hurt anything. If I did something else instead of Weapons, I certainly don’t think that would’ve helped me do something like Resident Evil,” Abrams admits.

(Spoilers ahead.) Josh Brolin ended up portraying the role that Pascal vacated in the now critical and commercial hit. His grieving father character eventually has a climactic confrontation with James, Abrams’ homeless addict character, at the house where all the missing schoolchildren have congregated. James and Archer’s borderline slapstick fight was already quite bizarre since Abrams’ character was possessed by the same type of witch’s spell that brought the kids to that particular home in the first place. But what makes it even more bizarre is that Brolin is currently playing Abrams’ father in Duffield’s aforementioned survival thriller about a scuba diver (Abrams) who’s swallowed alive by a sperm whale. (The book includes a father-son flashback narrative.)

“It was just really cool to come into something else and already have this weird connection with [Brolin],” Abrams says. “It almost feels like you’re entering a different dimension, and while you’ve had an experience with this person, it’s not the same person. So it’s strange, but it’s only helped things.”

Abrams did not get to enjoy Cregger’s highly sought-after script with the witchcraft twist intact, but the reading experience was still rewarding, as was his eventual perusal of Cregger’s Resident Evil screenplay.

“My freaking agent had spoiled it. I love him, but that was annoying,” Abrams recalls mid-laugh. “I still loved the script. I just couldn’t stop reading it, which is insane and how it’s been with all of Zach’s scripts [Resident Evil included]. They keep feeling fresh, and they keep going into new territory.”

Below, during a recent spoiler conversation with THR, Abrams also discusses why he pities his Weapons character, as well as the on-set story behind his instantly beloved reference to Willow. 

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Part of me was hoping you’d be doing this interview from the innards of a whale, but I  appreciate that you were able to squeeze this in on your one day off from Whalefall. 

(Laughs.) Yeah, I needed a break from inside the whale. 

You were part of the Weapons cast when it was a completely different ensemble. The strike then affected Pedro Pascal’s schedule, and Zach had to start over except for you. Did you just get lucky to not have any other conflicts? 

No, not necessarily. I just wanted to do Weapons. When I first saw Barbarian in the theaters, I didn’t really know what I was walking into. I didn’t know about Zach. I didn’t know about the movie at all. I just thought it was going to be a regular horror movie, and I wasn’t super excited going into it. But my friend wanted to go, and I was like, “Sure, I’ll go.” 

So I knew nothing about the movie, and when I saw the first shot, I was like, “Okay, that’s kind of sick.” The camera went through the main character’s [Georgina Campbell’s Tess] car window. And when it cut to Justin Long [to begin its second act], I immediately thought, “Whoever the fuck made this movie, I fucking love this person.” I then looked over at my friend and was like, “Holy shit.” We couldn’t even sit next to each other because the theater was so packed. 

So when I got out of the theater, I was like, “I need to figure out how to meet this guy and work with this guy.” And it’s so rare that it actually happens. But I just thought he was so gutsy, and it was so refreshing to experience. Weapons then came together, and I only want to work on things that I want to work on.

Zach appreciated that you “hung tough” with him. He now calls you his “dude.” Do you think your loyal gesture factored into you landing Resident Evil?

I have no idea, but I don’t think it hurt anything. If I did something else instead of Weapons, I certainly don’t think that would’ve helped me do something like Resident Evil.

Pedro’s exit from Weapons allowed you to work with Josh Brolin, who is now also playing your father in Whalefall. Given your violent interactions in Weapons, have there been any jokes on Whalefall about your polar opposite dynamics?

Maybe a few, but not too many. It was just really cool to have worked with him before and then come into something else and already have this weird connection with him. It almost feels like you’re entering a different dimension, and while you’ve had an experience with this person, it’s not the same person. So it’s strange, but it’s only helped things. I really loved him on Weapons and talking with him about things. So I feel a really deep connection with him at this point. 

Weapons’ climax is so dark and disturbing, and yet Josh’s character’s inability to put James down was hilarious. Did it actually feel comedic on the day? 

Well, I remember thinking, “You want me to get up again and then get up again over there?” So I don’t know if I was really sure about it at the time, but I do remember it being funny. It was also super physical, but it was funny on the day.

As you were reading Weapons, did you accurately predict that witchcraft was at the root of it? 

Well, my freaking agent had spoiled it. I love him, but that was annoying. (Laughs.) I still loved the script. I read it in one go in the middle of the night when I should have been sleeping. I just couldn’t stop reading it, which is insane and how it’s been with all of Zach’s scripts. I just love them. I don’t know what it is, really. I mean, it’s Zach, but it’s the sharpness of the dialogue and the action. They keep feeling fresh, and they keep going into new territory.

So when Josh’s character unknowingly painted the cause of everything on Julia’s character’s car, you immediately knew the game that Zach was playing.

Yeah, I knew something [witchy] was going on, for sure, but I didn’t know how the story was going to be told or anything like that. I didn’t really know all of those dynamics, so I still unveiled a lot.

I’ve seen the film interpreted in a wide variety of ways, and I should preface this next question by saying that whatever take you offer today is by no means official. 

No, it’s official! (Laughs.)

But what is your own reading of the film?

Zach has talked about it in a sense that even he doesn’t know what a lot of it means. A lot of it is deep, unconscious, inner-working stuff. What does the [AR-15] rifle that just pops up in Archer’s [Brolin] dream mean? I don’t really know. I probably had a take a year ago [during filming], but I’ve been so focused on other things since then that I can’t give you a great interpretation right now. But it’s all deep unconscious stuff that just floods out of Zach, and he has the skill to make that unconscious stuff work, which might be why his work is so strong and impactful. I know that each different character represents a part of himself, but beyond that, I don’t know. I just know that I love the story, even if I don’t have a real solid interpretation of it, at least not at this moment. What do you think?

What I consider to be the lasting image of Weapons is the young kids chasing after the old witch. So, to me, the movie is about the younger generation turning the tables on the older generation and rejecting their trauma, their dangerous policies and the corrupt systems they uphold.

Oh, fuck yeah. I like that. 

You mentioned that all of these characters are a reflection of Zach in some way. Can you recognize the James in Zach?

Yeah, he’s talked about it being him at his lowest and most desperate.

Do you feel pity for James since he operated under the spell of a witch and the spell of his own addiction?

Yeah, course. It’s fucking terrible, man. Being addicted to drugs is hell. It’s a nightmare. When I see someone on the street that is in a psychosis or something like that, that could be me, that could be you, that could genuinely be anyone. It just depends on what situation you grew up in, to a big degree. There’s babies that are being raised by meth addicts. I don’t know what’s going to happen to them, but that’s a hard hand to be dealt. So I feel complete empathy for James. 

“Oh fuck, Willow.” 

(Laughs.)

James’ reaction to the Willow DVD is a big hit on the internet. 

Is it?

Yeah, is there a story behind that moment?

I think the DVDs were just there, and maybe it was Zach who noticed it. So he was like, “Oh, can you just say Willow or something like that?” It was maybe that simple, but I don’t remember that line being in the script. I think the DVD got placed there, and we just found it funny. And it is fucking funny.

When James was panhandling Julia’s character for money to see his brother, we know that the brother part is true since he later called him and asked for money under false pretenses. But the optimist in me wants to believe that James, at that moment, genuinely wanted to go home and get help. Did Zach give you any more backstory for James?

No, not really. At  least not that I remember. It just came down to research. But the interesting thing about James asking for money to see his brother, is that true? Is that not true? Because it could be true in that moment. But once he has some money, he then might say, “I’ve to get high so that I can come up with a plan to go see him.” So it’s not necessarily a lie, at least not in that moment when he asks Julia’s character for money. But I definitely discussed a lot of it with Zach, and he was open to me trying things and throwing things at him. He’s so smart, and I just really trust his direction. 

IMDb can sometimes be inaccurate prior to the official release, but it had your character name written as Anthony for the longest time. Was that his name on an old script or breakdown?

Yeah, that was his name at first, but between Archer and Alex, there were too many other A-names.

You’ve had back-to-back foot chases in Wolfs and now Weapons. Did you feel more prepared for this one after going through that crucible on Wolfs?

No. (Laughs.) I ended up dropping some weight for Weapons, so the running was a little challenging, sometimes. But I ran for a much shorter period than the Wolfs sequence.

Your Wolfs director Jon Watts used to be in a film school gang with Jake Schreier, so do you think Jake put you on Jon’s radar all those years ago via Paper Towns?

Yeah, they’re really good friends, and I think Jon was in the editing room on Paper Towns, either watching or giving notes or just hanging out. But I know that he had seen me in that and that it kind of started things. 

Jon was going to make a Wolfs sequel until the movie’s sudden lack of theatrical release rubbed him the wrong way. Did it ever get as far as you knowing whether you were coming back or not?

Yeah, I think I was. George [Clooney] came up with a bit of a story or the start of a story, and that was the thought for a second.

When I last spoke to Brian Duffield for No One Will Save You, he told me how Nope became a source of anxiety after his movie had already gotten moving. They’re both alien invasion thrillers on the surface, but completely different under the hood. Well, another movie with a nearly identical premise to Whalefall announced itself in May just as you guys were about to start shooting. Has this subject come up at all on set? 

I didn’t even know about it until weeks ago. So I really don’t know much about it, but I’ve heard it might be a Spanish film or something like that. 

I do know that it’s an independent. There’s no studio behind it.

But I don’t know why I didn’t know about it until later on. People had already been talking about it, but I don’t feel concerned about anything like that. 

You’re not returning for Euphoria season three, but your career and so many others have really accelerated from that show. Is that the biggest reason why the show has had such a tough time getting back on the screen? Are there just too many big careers to juggle?

Yeah, probably. There were so many different factors, from everyone’s schedules to COVID to Angus [Cloud] passing away. There were a lot of tough situations that made it difficult.

I know you’re consumed by the innards of a whale right now, but Zach has already storyboarded Resident Evil. Have you also started wrapping your head around that role yet?

Yeah, we’ve been wrapping. (Abrams smiles.) Zach is very, very prepared.

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Weapons is now playing in movie theaters.