The Tom Cruise mega hit Top Gun: Maverick released three-and-a-half years ago, and with it, the general population was introduced to Glen Powell. Although he had small-to-substantial roles in movies like Hidden Figures, Scream Queens, Everybody Wants Some, and Set it Up, the billion dollar box office smash Maverick catapulted the Texan into the big leagues.
Since then, he has racked up success after success, and it’s wildly clear: Glen Powell is a capital M, capital S Movie Star. This fact has never been clearer than in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, a re-imagining of Stephen King’s 1982 novel that releases November 14. In the new movie, he proves he can carry an action flick as the lead, bringing emotion to a tense character.
Powell is handsome and charismatic and annoyingly funny for someone who possesses the first two qualities in spades, which definitely makes it a lot easier to be a star. But more impressive is his understanding of Hollywood, being in the public eye and picking projects. He could have easily fallen into a rut of cheesy romcoms or have taken one of those big budget Netflix action flicks that everyone forgets about after a weekend.
Instead, his recent filmography includes blockbusters (Twisters), romcoms (Anyone But You), quirky dark comedic thrillers (Hit Man) and a stunningly heartfelt comedy television series based on a skit done by Eli Manning (Chad Powers). He isn’t just acting in these roles, he’s also taking on some writing and producing responsibilities.
Keeping everyone on their toes — including himself — is important to the 37-year-old actor who got his true big break later in his career. Powell wants to try things he finds different or interesting, and he is alway trying to take on projects with directors he admires. Wright was a big draw for him signing on The Running Man, and he has projects with J.J. Abrams, Ron Howard, Barry Jenkins and Judd Apatow all upcoming.
“In addition to hoping people don’t get tired of me or expect what I’m doing next, I don’t want to expect what I’m doing next,” Powell said in an interview with For The Win. “For me, Chad Powers is a crazy, wild swing, but it’s a world that I love — I love college football — and it’s a character that I think there’s a lot of heart to and a lot of really wonderful nuance and things to that world that I wanted to highlight.”
Part of keeping people from getting tired of him also includes picking the right press and media opportunities. He just sweat his face off on Hot Ones, and Powell has previously hopped on Jake Shane’s popular podcast Therapuss and geeked out about movies with Bill Simmons on The Rewatchables. His charisma with costars is undeniable, whether that’s Hitman’s Adria Arjona or The Running Man’s Colman Domingo and Lee Pace on their press junkets. Even his Saturday Night Live promo for this weekend’s episode perfectly paid homage to an iconic music video.
The other element that grounds Powell is his family. He has an adorable and sassy dog, Brisket, who wears matching outfits and has a cameo in The Running Man. His parents, Glen Sr. and Cyndy, and sisters, Lauren and Leslie, are often on set, at premieres or even have cameos of their own. Being the middle boy between an older and younger sister is something Powell said shaped him and the way he handles the rise of his career.
“My sisters are my best friends, and I think it’s been really fun to navigate this whole journey with them. Because obviously life kind of changes, the world around you can change in a lot of ways, and it can kind of sometimes throw you a little bit, but like your sisters are your sisters and your your family is your family,” Powell said of Lauren and Leslie. “They’ve been really great lead blockers for me, protectors of me in a lot of ways.”
Powell has taken all the right steps and made all the right choices (or as many as one can in a space as unforgiving as the public eye), and it’s exciting to see what’s next.
The Running Man is in theaters nationwide on November 14.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Glen Powell as leading Hollywood actor is here with The Running Man
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