Austin Abrams Is Hollywood’s Go-To Cougar-bait

During last week’s episode of The Americans (Episode 6, “Rififi”), an incognito Keri Russell slid one seat over from a young man and struck up a conversation before their movie began. They chatted over a cigarette outside afterwards, and she “happened” to run into him again soon after on the subway, lightly flirting with the man half her age. He was a mark for Russell’s Russian spy, Elizabeth Jennings, but government intern Jackson Barber wasn’t the first role where actor Austin Abrams was cast as the guy who caught the eye of an older woman.

Abrams, a 21-year-old from Florida, is perhaps best known for his roles in Paper Towns, The Walking Dead, and recently as Ben Stiller’s son Troy in the film Brad’s Status. But last year he also popped up on the Showtime series SMILF as Casey, a college student who hooks up with his former babysitter Bridgette (Frankie Shaw). And while his role on The Americans never got quite physical, the tension is surely there.

So what is it about this young actor that finds him so appealing to older female characters? Well, look at him. He’s adorable. The combination of that floppy brown hair and look that says, “I’m young but I’m wise,” didn’t go unnoticed by both SMILF and Brad’s Status which cast him as smart enough to get into Harvard. While he can also be seen in this year’s films Dude and Puzzle, the fact that he’s had memorable roles on shows such as Shameless and Silicon Valley kind of makes him the TV guest star version of Timothée Chalamet. Both are clearly incredibly talented, and impressively so considering they’re in their early 20’s. But their looks can’t be, well, overlooked here. There’s the longish hair and the semi-shy/quiet vibe they give off until they speak, which eludes a confidence they’re only slightly aware of but not boasting about, in many of the roles they slide into — and this is no accident. In fact, this is precisely why women (and men) of all ages have taken notice of these exceptional performers.

While there will always be a place for the jockey beefcakes, now more than ever there are spaces for the thoughtful, thinking woman’s type of man, no matter what age that thinking woman may be. Right now, Abrams is the quintessential college guy: not so much the doofus doing keg stands, but the cute, thoughtful guy with a book — which any wise woman knows, are the most dangerous ones of all.

But the bottom line is this: you can’t just pick any fresh face out of the crowd when it comes to creating even a drop of on-screen chemistry with the talents of a Shaw or a Russell (who grows more and more incomparable with each new scene on the FX drama) or even holding their own when acting opposite a mid-life crisis Stiller. Abrams doesn’t just show up because he looks good, it’s because he knows how to act even better.

Where to watch The Americans