If you were looking for the exact moment Hollywood remembered how to manufacture a classic, gold-standard American movie star, you just need to point your eyes at Glen Powell. The bloke didn’t just climb the industry ladder; he basically strapped a jetpack to his back and swaggered right into the top tier of leading men. With a grin that could clear up a rainy day in Lancashire, an absolute brick outhouse of a physique, and an endless supply of effortless charisma, he is a refreshing reminder of the days when movie stars actually looked like they were having the absolute time of their lives on screen.
For the longest time, Glen was doing the hard yards in the background, popping up for about thirty seconds at a time as nameless, muscular thugs or generic boyfriends. But his real breakthrough came when he stood toe-to-toe with Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick. Playing the insanely arrogant, shirtless football-throwing pilot Hangman, Glen completely stole every single scene he was in through pure, unadulterated confidence. Instead of getting stuck as a one-note military bloke, he immediately pivoted, single-handedly reviving the dead cinematic rom-com opposite Sydney Sweeney in Anyone But You, and going full disaster-movie hero in the massive blockbuster Twisters.
What makes Glen such a proper legend, though, is his massive intelligence behind the camera. He isn't just a pretty face who turns up to read lines—he’s a massive film nerd who actively writes and produces his own material. He co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed dark comedy Hit Man, completely shifting shapes through a dozen different characters, and created the hit comedy series Chad Powers. He’s completely mastered the art of being the ultimate Hollywood golden boy while remaining incredibly sharp, self-aware, and completely willing to take the piss out of his own hunky image.
Lately, his schedule has been completely unhinged. He starred as a blue-collar heir fighting his wealthy family in the dark thriller How to Make a Killing, and he’s locked in to lead J.J. Abrams’ highly anticipated sci-fi fantasy epic The Great Beyond alongside Jenna Ortega. He’s also teaming up with Judd Apatow for a massive comedy film about a struggling country music star whose career is in free fall, and is gearing up to step into Arnold Schwarzenegger's massive boots for Edgar Wright’s highly anticipated remake of The Running Man. Glen Powell has proven that old-school star power isn't a thing of the past—sometimes you just need a bloke from Texas with enough charm to power the planet.
• The Christopher Nolan Validation: Back in 2012, Glen was completely skint and struggling to find any acting work whatsoever when he managed to land a tiny, thankless role in The Dark Knight Rises as a trader who gets his head smashed into a desk by Bane. Glen has since admitted that Christopher Nolan taking a chance on him and giving him that tiny bit of screen time was the exact moment that validated him as an actor and stopped him from quitting the business altogether.
• The Paperboy Audition Practice: When he was just a teenager, Glen landed a minor role as a paperboy in the 2005 comedy The Wendell Baker Story. Determined to be absolutely flawless on set, Glen spent weeks turning his family’s neighborhood cul-de-sac into a training ground, forcing his mum to stand outside for hours while he practiced throwing hundreds of tightly rolled-up newspapers from his bike until he could hit a porch perfectly from thirty yards away.
• The Gene-Pool Cameo Tradition: In easily one of the most wholesome traditions in Hollywood history, Glen has a strict rule that his mum and dad have to appear as background extras in literally every single movie he ever makes. If you go back and pause the screen closely, his parents can be spotted sitting behind him in Spy Kids 3, lounging in the background of Top Gun: Maverick, and even boarding a plane right behind him in Anyone But You.
Glen Powell is a breath of fresh air. In an industry full of fragile actors who take themselves far too seriously, he treats the movie business like a massive, high-octane party that he’s lucky to be invited to. He has an unbelievable knack for playing characters who are absolute textbook show-offs, yet somehow makes them completely lovable and charming instead of annoying. Whether he is dodging tornadoes, trading witty banter in a sharp suit, or flying fighter jets, he brings a massive, infectious energy that drags any film right over the finish line. He is a proper superstar, and cinema is infinitely better for it.
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