Withers’ revelation came during the pandemic. After years of making online videos, the former Florida State football player picked up and moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in acting. From there, he parlayed bit parts in Atlanta and Tell Me Lies into starring roles in this year’s tentpoles Him and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Next, Withers will segue from scream king to an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him, in which he stars opposite Maika Monroe. “That was the scariest one to make,” he says, “because you’re living in the soft gentleness of masculinity and showing your emotions.” The romance deals heavily with grief, which is something that the 27-year-old is familiar with. Withers lost his older brother in a 2021 car accident and wanted to explore his own pain head-on. Looking ahead, Withers would love to lean into comedy as well. In the meantime, he says of his breakout year: “Going into these projects, I always feared that I was not the right person for the role, and then I just had to keep reminding myself that I am enough.”
THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER I IDENTIFY WITH THE MOST “Nemo, from Finding Nemo. I feel like a little fish in a big sea, trying to find my way home, which means getting creative and finding your way to success. It’s poetry.”
WHAT I DID WITH MY FIRST HOLLYWOOD PAYCHECK “I was living in Atlanta and I got my check and took myself to Olive Garden. Growing up, my mom used to take me there to celebrate for my birthday, and we’ve have soccer team dinners there. That was luxury. That is luxury.”
IF I’M WEARING MY AIRPODS ON SET, I’M PROBABLY LISTENING TO “”The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. She’s talking about anxiety, and that calms my anxiety. But it depends on the scene. The song that gets me to a sad place is “Dear April” by Frank Ocean, because I lost my brother in the month of April. And if you need to get crunk, you play Lil’ Jon or “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill.”
THE FIRST TIME I WAS STARSTRUCK “I’m shooting shots. Channing Tatum, LaKeith Stanfield, Keke Palmer, Jennifer Lawrence, Daniel Kaluuya, Florence Pugh, the list is endless. And Archie Madekwe, we’ve got to do something together. Shoutout to Archie.”
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