Young, Hot and Unbothered: Two of Hollywood’s Breakout Stars Stylishly Step Out in LA

Austin Abrams and Myha’la are both having a banner year. Abrams is starring alongside George Clooney and Brad Pitt in the buzzy buddy comedy Wolfs, out Sept. 20, and Myha’la continues her reign over Industry, HBO’s sleek and sexy finance drama that recently was promoted to the network’s coveted Sunday 9 p.m. slot. The only thing hotter than their careers was the weather on the day of the shoot. 

Temps were topping 100 degrees when Myha’la and Abrams met at the 1 Hotel West Hollywood, but the two were completely unfazed. They’re used to an on-set challenge. In Wolfs, Abrams (who broke big on season one of Euphoria) plays a hapless guy caught up in a wild night in a hotel penthouse; when rival fixers (George Clooney and Brad Pitt) arrive to clean up the mess, a chase scene through wintry NYC ensues. “I swear it was five pages in the script, and then to my surprise, it was three to four weeks of filming while running,” Abrams recalls with a laugh. 

Working on Industry doesn’t require physical stamina so much as mental. Even into its third season, Myha’la says the show’s constant R-rated risk-taking — sex, drugs and bottle episodes — keeps her on her toes. “It feels like this season they were just like, ‘Man, fuck it,’ ” she says of the series that delves into finance-swagger culture. “They’re writing with abandon, but it’s backed by so much confidence.” 

Abrams and Myha’la are both experiencing an outsize amount of attention this fall, and intentionality in the face of fame is important to them. Abrams came to the shoot fresh from the Venice Film Festival world premiere, an experience he likened to being “courtside at the Lakers game.” He says he had to convince himself to take the role in Wolfs — “the opportunity to work with Brad and George was really frightening” — and that now the challenge lies with not giving too much credence to the accolades. “Reviews and things can be difficult to avoid, but I try to have perspective and to understand that what really matters is being present with friends and family,” he says. “Movies can be beautiful experiences, but they’re just movies.” 

Myha’la reads it all — Industry’s third season is its best-reviewed so far — and leans into the success that the tight-knit cast and crew is enjoying, most recently at their first-ever premiere party (the first two seasons came out during COVID restrictions). “We were all made up in our dapper suits, standing there with the New York City skyline behind us, taking pictures together,” she says. “We’re all very close; we love each other so desperately, and it just felt like we won.”  

This story appeared in the Sept. 19 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.