6 Austin Abrams roles that built his screen career

1. The Walking Dead (2015 to 2016): Ron Anderson

In the sixth season of AMC's flagship post-apocalyptic series, Abrams took on the difficult role of Ron Anderson, a traumatized Alexandria teenager spiraling into bitter resentment against Carl and Rick Grimes. Where a less disciplined young performer might have played the character with flat adolescent spite, Abrams brought a twitchy, heartbreaking vulnerability to the screen. His sudden, chaotic confrontation in the midseason premiere remains one of the franchise's most memorable dramatic flashpoints, proving his ability to convey raw panic under extreme narrative pressure.

2. Paper Towns (2015): Ben Starling

Adapted from John Green's bestselling novel, this coming-of-age mystery provided Abrams with his first major studio comedic showcase as Ben Starling. Playing loyal best friend to Nat Wolff's protagonist Quentin, Abrams injected the road trip narrative with infectious energy. The undeniable peak of the movie occurs during an urgent nighttime highway sprint, where Ben conquers his overwhelming terror by belting out the Pokemon anime theme song at full volume. It was an early, joyous demonstration of his instinct for high-stress physical comedy.

3. Euphoria (2019 to 2022): Ethan Lewis

On HBO's acclaimed teen drama, Abrams portrayed Ethan Lewis, initially introduced as Kat Hernandez's gentle and considerate high school boyfriend. While the series frequently leaned into intense emotional chaos, Ethan provided a calm, grounding presence. That quiet patience paid off spectacularly during the season two finale. Stepping into Lexi Howard's autobiographical school play, Abrams delivered a showstopping, gold-lamé musical dance performance set to Bonnie Tyler's music that instantly went viral and earned universal praise from critics.

4. Dash and Lily (2020): Dash

Netflix's charming eight-episode holiday romantic comedy series gave Abrams his first leading romance role as Dash, a bookish, cynical teenager navigating Manhattan during Christmas. Trading literary clues and personal dares through a red Moleskine notebook tucked in the Strand Bookstore, Abrams balanced dry wit with genuine warmth, earning a Daytime Emmy nomination for outstanding principal performance in a daytime program. The role established his ability to carry an entire multi-episode arc with effortless charm.

5. Do Revenge (2022): Max Broussard

In director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's razor-sharp dark comedy, Abrams executed a brilliant pivot from sympathetic sweethearts to play Max Broussard, a preening, manipulative private school kingpin who disguises toxic narcissism behind progressive slogans. Abrams clearly relished playing an unrepentant villain, giving Max an oily, effortless smarm that made his eventual public downfall intensely satisfying for viewers. The performance demonstrated his impressive range and sharp satirical instincts.

6. Wolfs (2024): The Kid

Sharing the screen with cinema icons George Clooney and Brad Pitt is a daunting challenge for any actor under thirty, but Abrams stole entire sequences of Jon Watts' action comedy as the frantic, unnamed young man caught in a botched hotel assignment. Spending nearly half his screen time sprinting through freezing Manhattan streets clad only in his underwear, Abrams matched the veteran leads beat for beat with breathless, kinetic comedy, earning widespread acclaim for his fearless physical commitment.

When I trace this six-role evolution, his casting in Resident Evil looks less like a sudden leap and more like an earned arrival. Each project built a distinct technical foundation: emotional transparency, rhythmic comedic timing, physical endurance, and the rare gift of looking completely overwhelmed while keeping the audience firmly in his corner. Zach Cregger did not just hire an actor; he found the perfect conduit for human survival.

What makes this career trajectory so joyful to study is his total absence of vanity. Many rising actors protect their cool factor above all else, chasing brooding antiheroes or polished romantic leads. Abrams consistently chose characters who were messy, anxious, uncoordinated, or morally compromised. That artistic courage is precisely why audiences root for him so passionately.