Glen Powell’s role in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick was a key milestone in his rise to stardom. The highly-anticipated sequel to the ’80s classic featured Tom Cruise’s Maverick returning to his mischievous antics and heroism and introduced Miles Teller’s Rooster as the right heir to the Top Gun legacy. Nevertheless, Powell’s performance as Hangman stands out–a player with a vibe that’s essential to the film’s fresh tone. But as it turns out, Powell wasn’t entirely convinced at first to portray Hangman. Luckily, Cruise jumped in and convinced him to stay in the blockbuster that reportedly saved cinema in the post-COVID-19 era.
Recently, Powell sat down with GQ magazine for a career retrospective, and he talked about some of his most important performances. The interview also included excerpts from Powell’s co-stars, including Cruise, who commented on Powell’s casting as Hangman. The Mission: Impossible star claims Powell was disappointed when he failed to get the Rooster part. Powell walked away from the project, and it wasn’t until Cruise acted as leader that the 36-year-old actor was convinced to play the supporting character that becomes a key player in the final act:
“He was passing on the film without really looking at it and evaluating it from every angle—without gathering all the information on the process of how I approach making movies, my career, all the talented artists that were involved, and how the film is actually going to be made.”
The two actors bonded afterward, eventually forming a friendship that is still active today, with Powell often seeking advice from the Hollywood legend for his ongoing projects. Powell also shared an anecdote from the production of Top Gun: Maverick where Cruise gave him a strong opinion of a superfood Powell created, and the concoction didn’t look great at all:
“Cruise gave me sh*t. Somebody was like, ‘Hey, do super coffee.’ So you put ashwagandha and reishi and Cordyceps and all these things in your coffee. So I blended it, mixed it up, put it in this kind of a mason jar and brought it to set. I’m flying that day, so I’m drinking this thing. But it’s all these ground-up mushrooms—it kind of looks like just this hearty, just disgusting…. He kind of looks at me for a second, he’s like: ‘You look like you’re drinking a stool sample. What is that?’ I was like, ‘Okay, this one, I took this too far.'”
Powell’s Reference for the Modern Leading Man is… Chris Pratt?
Glen Powell’s LT Jake “Hangman” Seresin smiling in Top Gun: Maverick
Paramount Pictures
A couple of years have passed since Powell had his Hollywood breakout and entered the spotlight. Today, he has the leading man status he has always deserved, and has found himself in numerous productions where he’s been able to showcase his talent and energy. In the rocky territory that is the cinema industry today, such a feat wasn’t exactly easy to achieve. Nevertheless, one specific performance from an MCU star inspired him to leave the conventions he was used to and explore a more playful side to his characters:
“I remember when Chris Pratt broke out in Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s no doubt it really helped—not being brooding or dark. Like, I’m not Christian Bale. Christian Bale has a gravitas and a weight, and Pattinson had his thing. And when Pratt kind of appeared on the scene where he was doing things that were a little more silly and buoyant, that’s where I feel most at home. And that’s where I feel like I had a gear that is a necessary flavor in terms of Hollywood, and not a gear that a lot of guys can play.”
You can view the original article HERE.
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