Glen Powell Says Chris Pratt's Role in GOTG Opened Doors for Guys to Play Roles That Were "More Silly and Buoyant"

Glen Powell is currently one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, having played starring roles in films like Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, Anyone But You, and Twisters, as well as the upcoming feature adaptation of The Running Man, Powell has a lot of star power.

He took a long time to break into this level of fame, but he credits some of the way that Hollywood has shifted to actors who have changed the types of roles offered to young men in the industry.

In a recent interview with GQ, the actor talked about getting started in the business, and only getting cast in generic parts:

“The jock or the fraternity guy or the very vanilla next-door-neighbor vibes,” Powell said. “You get cast into these very broad things.” But then, he says the business swung his way, all with the casting of one Marvel movie.

“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.”

Edgar Wright says he thought of Powell as a classic everyman: “He’s a conduit for the audience because he’s someone you can identify with or relate to.”

It’s cool that Pratt’s role helped Powell see his future in a new way. Powell seems to be flexing his comedic muscles in the upcoming series, Chad Powers, which is headed to Hulu at the end of this month.

Whatever reason Powell finally got the roles he was hoping for, it seems that his career is just taking off, and I look forward to seeing what else he does.