Tyriq Withers’ 27th birthday got off to quite the special start. The night before, the rising actor attended his very first premiere, for his movie “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Prior to walking the red carpet, in a full Thom Browne look styled by Jason Bolden, his team presented him with a cake. A few hours later, he was seated beside his mother and nephew in the theater, taking in the screening. 

“Last night was a movie, no pun intended,” he says the following day, on his actual birthday. “It was electric from doing press in the morning to going to the hotel and then meeting all my team there and getting ready for my first premiere — it was a dream come true. I had anxiety about the night because I just wanted it to last forever. I wish I could bottle that feeling up and then when you feel down, you get to pour it out a little bit and feel that feeling again.”

Withers, newly 27 years old, stars in the reboot of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” alongside Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Sarah Pidgeon and Jennifer Love Hewitt. It may be his first premiere but he’ll be back on the circuit shortly: this fall he stars in “Him,” the Jordan Peele-produced sports horror film, one of the year’s most anticipated new titles.

Safe to say, Withers has to get used to seeing himself on screen more.

“I was sweating the entire time,” he says of watching “I Know What You Did Last Summer” next to his family. “Anytime I knew my face was about to pop up, I started tensing. It’s funny that I make movies and the only real opinion that matters is my 7-year-old nephew. So I’m walking out of the theater and I was like, ‘did you like it? Really? Are you lying to me?’”

For the big night, Withers and Bolden opted for a Thom Browne kilt over trousers, paired with a knit vest. 

“I think it’s such an eclectic look that pushes specific boundaries that I’m passionate about, because I think growing up there’s this idea of what it means to be masculine. And I think I’ve been teetering that line my entire life,” Withers says. “I think masculinity is being bold enough to do exactly what you want to do, being so confident in who you are as a person and how you want to express yourself. I think that’s the most masculine thing one can do. It’s not tied to any specific gender. I just love this look with the iconic gray skirt on the outside of the pants and the checkered vest piece.”

With his first two big projects, Withers, who played football at Florida State before becoming an actor, is set to become a new star of the horror genre. 

“I grew up struggling to watch them — you know how that is,” he says. “I think one of my scariest films ever is ‘Jeepers Creepers,’ and to this day, I can’t really wash my hair or shampoo with my eyes shut. You got to keep those eyes open. So yeah, I’m a big fan because it’s just so much to play with. There’s a community that you can enjoy the movie with theatrically, and then I think it’s just an escapism for everyday life to really tap into a film and just enjoy it.”