Sam Rechner covers the new issue of 10 Magazine Australia: CRAFT, CLASSIC, NOSTALGIA, wearing Prada, on newsstands Friday March 27th. Read the full story below:

Sam Rechner is on the rise. At only 21, the Australian actor was cast in Steven Spielberg’s 2022 film The Fabelmans, then he went into a leading role in Netflix’s smash hit Heartbreak High. His most recent role is in part seven of the globally renowned Scream franchise.

‍Rechner credits growing up in Australia with his desire to become an actor. “Being from Sydney allows you to dream big,” he tells 10 Men Australia from the set of his cover story. It’s a 43°C day in Centennial Park, a few days before Christmas, and Rechner is home for the holidays, taking it all in his stride. “I feel lucky and fortunate to have grown up here. I had the freedom to explore everything that I was interested in and curious about. I’m also lucky that I have a family who allowed me to be passionate without any kind of judgement.” It was during a play of George Orwell’s 1984 in high school when he felt the sting of excitement about acting. “I was actually in the audience watching a friend’s performance and was immediately transfixed by what he was doing. It was a moment that clicked for me, that made me want to do what I do.” His high-school drama teacher, Mr Griffiths, is who he credits as his biggest mentor to this day, and who he continues to go to for guidance and a trusted opinion.

After high school, Rechner relocated to Los Angeles, where he scored that part with Spielberg. Recently, he’s been basing himself out of New York, as he auditions for roles. It’s been a place of finding his footing and coming into himself. “I’ve found some cool, interesting cats recently here that have inspired me to think in different ways. Someone I worked with recently on Scream 7 has opened up the way I think and the way I approach life. And therefore, my work as well.” That new perspective is simply being of service and getting out of his own way. He describes the profession of acting as “rewarding”, saying that it allows him to grow into a person he is proud to be. “Acting is the best job because it allows you to fast-track how to understand not only the human condition, but to understand your own experience within that, and how to mature as a young man. It goes hand in hand… this work naturally lends itself to helping me become a better person.” Although he hasn’t had any formal training, Rechner says, “I came to a realisation that if I come at it from a place of love and play and having fun, then that’s honestly where the best work comes from.”

Scream 7 was a new experience. He made the film in Atlanta, with the added pressure of a decades-long, well-loved franchise. “Working on an ensemble piece is a good learning experience,” he says. “I was able to work with great actors at different stages in their career and I learned more about the technicalities of screen acting on that set. That was probably one of the bigger takeaways and understandings… how to have my performance living within the confinements of what exists within the frame. I play the boyfriend of Isabel May, who feels like the next Jennifer Lawrence.”

Rechner is part of a new generation of actors on the rise. He admires Timothée Chalamet, who he sees as a positive representation of what this next generation should be. “He’s leading the way, and a great leader in terms of how to love and care for the art. I want to be working with people like that, who really care.I want to be around people who want to do it for the right reasons.” Rechner’s north stars include Tom Hardy and Colin Farrell, who he met a few months ago in a compromised situation inside a bathroom at an awards show. “Most appropriate place to start a conversation,”he says with a laugh. “I started talking to him about his work. I think he’s inspiring in terms of his range within both comedic and dramatic acting. He has a career thatI’d love to emulate.” Farrell has been a part of some of his favourite films, like In Bruges, and has worked with Martin McDonough, one of Rechner’s favourite playwrights and screenwriters. “The Irish are just the best storytellers,” he says. In terms of directors, like many fellow Gen Z actors, Rechner would love to work with Paul Thomas Anderson.

He is eager to talk about style and thrilled to be wearing Prada for this story, naturally. “I love colour.I love self-expression. I love seeing how small details can complement the bigger picture of what I’m wearing.”He sees clothes as a tool for his craft, adding nuances to the development of a character. “If you have insecurities with diving deep into a character, there’s stuff you can lean on within the wardrobe that can help guide you.”He’s surprisingly serious about fashion and understands that each creative director brings a new vision. “Prada is a dream,” he says. “There’s a real youthfulness to [the menswear]... from my naive fashion opinion it seems like an interesting year with this new wave of all these different creative directors coming through. But to see how Prada continues to just stand true to themselves amid the chaos and change is brilliant.”

Right now, he’s feeling inspired after watching the recent documentary It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, about the late singer. There’s a similarity between how Buckley and Rechner approach their craft, with complete devotion and an unwavering childlike excitement for their art. Rechner’s also had Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions on repeat, and has been reading Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece Love in the Time of Cholera, which his dad gave him. He’s found a recent mindfulness routine through going for marathon-length runs and spending time with his siblings. His sister is the one who “keeps me in my place. She always pulls me back down to earth.” His twin brother is who makes him laugh.

As he heads off from our shoot to meet his friends atBondi Beach for a swim, he leaves us with his aim for2026: “My intention is actually just to be intentional...and to be of service.” He says this reminds him of his grandfather, who he cites as his hero: “He’s the most giving, service-orientated person. Isn’t that what life’s all about?

Issue 27 - CRAFT, CLASSIC, NOSTALGIA - is out Friday, March 27th

Photographer JOE BRENNAN
Fashion Editor TRISTAN LEVI KANE
Text ROXY LOLA
Grooming FERNNANDO MIRANDA
Digital operator DANE MOFFAT
Motion/video SOMERSET PHAEDRUS
Production R D PRODUCTIONS
Clothing and accessories throughout by PRADA

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