From Top Gun: Maverick to Hit Man and Twisters – we are in the middle of the Glenaissance.
Glen Powell is a Hollywood ‘star’ today, wowing audiences with his effortless charisma and acting – not to mention his adorable dog Brisket.
The 35-year-old Hidden Figures star is currently hitting UK cinemas in Twisters, the highly anticipated follow-up to Bill Paxton’s thriller Twister.
Powell stars in the new film as Tyler Owen, a social media-famous storm chaser who crosses paths with Kate Cooper (Daisy Edgar-Jones), drawn to an open plain by his friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) to try tornado tracking. system.
As hurricane season progresses, the test becomes life-threatening as multiple systems converge over central Oklahoma.
It comes off the back of roles in the smash hit Netflix movie Hit Man and the modern rom-com Anyone But You and, before that, the blockbuster flick Top Gun: Maverick.
But he’s had a varied career outside of the action and romance genres – wowing fans in everything from cult children’s films to true crime series and multiple award-winning shows.
Here are some hidden gem roles the actor has in his filmography to watch before Twisters.
Spy Kids 3: Game Over
Powell’s first big screen role came in Spy Kids 3: Game Over.
Starring alongside Elijah Wood, Sylvester Stallone, and Antonio Banderas, Powell appeared as the Long-Fingered Boy when he was just 14 years old.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez, the film follows Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) on his greatest mission when he confronts the Toymaker (Stallone) who has captured Juni’s sister Carmen (Alexa PenaVega) and imprisoned him in virtual reality.
The From Dusk Til Dawn creator has opened up about finding Powell, saying he was ‘shocked’ by his audition for Spy Kids.
‘To fill the other roles (in ‘Spy Kids 3-D’), we cast local actors who don’t get as much experience as those working in LA So you’re just trying to find local people who win. ‘Don’t be nervous, he will give a performance that matches the other actors,’ says Indie Wire.
‘He walks with height and confidence and just nails it. And I was so surprised that he was so nice, so I said to him and his mom, “What are you planning?” He kept saying, “I’m going all out. I want to be an actor,” which is cool to hear from someone from Austin.’
CSI: Miami
Some big stars have appeared on CSI: Miami over the years, from Zac Efron to Channing Tatum.
And Powell is no different, starring in a 2009 episode of Head Case which follows an amnesiac found by the team in his blood with no memory of his movements.
Powell appears as military man Logan Crawford, the only surviving member of the murderous family of Crawford’s Ft Lauderdale home, who has a sinister motive in the bloody crime.
In a recent interview, Powell recalled how a casting director once said he’d be ‘lucky’ to play ‘a dead body on CSI’ – but the star turned out to be better.
Pig
No, no that movie starring Longlegs and Renfield legend Nicolas Cage.
In 2011, Powell appeared in Babi alongside Rudolf Martin and Patrick Fabian telling another story of amnesia.
The film follows a man (Martin) who wakes up in the middle of the desert with a black sack on his head and no memory of what happened to him.
He is nursed back to health by a woman and begins a search for his past in Los Angeles after following only one clue – a name written on a piece of paper.
Powell stars as Johnny the Teacher, one of the mysterious figures in the sci-fi thriller that helps tell the man’s story.
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight trilogy is one of the biggest film franchises to ever hit theaters, and Powell played a small role in its success.
Released in 2012, The Dark Knight Rises sees the titular antihero (Christian Bale) face off against Bane (Tom Hardy), a terrorist who threatens Gotham City.
Powell made a quick appearance in the award-winning Batman movie as a stockbroker who ends up caught in one of Bane’s heists.
‘If nothing else happens to my career, at least I get kicked by Bane!’ he told Discussing Film about his role, which saw him head smashed off the desk by the villain.
Expendables 3
The Expandable franchise may not be what it used to be, with the fourth entry not doing well in theaters last year.
But for The Expendables 3 it’s a different story, with an all-star cast – including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Terry Crews – supporting another successful entry for the franchise.
And Powell pops up among the list of star names to help them with their mission – he plays computer hacker Thorn.
At the end of the film, Thorn buys the heroes time by attempting to disable the bomb that is building up to a massive detonation, but is unable to stop the explosion.
Powell admitted that when he was on set with the Hollywood superstar, he sought advice as much as possible: ‘The best thing about being in Bulgaria for three months was picking Sly’s (Stallone) brain about how to survive in Hollywood. how long has it been.’
He told the Austin-American Statesman: ‘I know the chances of getting to where I’ve been in my career are slim and lasting more than three years smaller than that.
‘So to get time with the only person to have opened a film at number one in the last five decades is special.’
Scream Queens
Scream Queens only lasted two more seasons in 2015 and 2016, but they still managed to get some great cast members through the door before calling it a day.
Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, Keke Palmer, and Jamie Lee Curtis were all featured in the satirical horror series, with Powell joining them as a main cast member in the first season.
In the show, he played the boyfriend of Emma Roberts’ character, Chad Radwell, appearing in all 13 episodes of the first season. He later stepped down from the role, appearing in only three episodes in season two.
Despite stepping down from the role, he still has nothing but praise for the people behind the show, saying he is eager to work with the creators.
In December 2023, he told Vogue: ‘(Show creator) Ryan Murphy and I, we actually make music together.’
All Hail King Julien: Exiled
Before we get into the role of Glen Powell in All Hail King Julien: Exiled, did you know that there is a Madagascar spin-off TV series based on everyone’s favorite lemur? Because we don’t.
In the series, Powell voices Trent, who only appears in two episodes – Trent is a dolphin who seems to be in trouble and chaos everywhere he goes.
Along with his friend Kipper (voiced by Max Greenfield), the pair capture Lord Shark in one episode, causing all kinds of trouble for Julien and the gang.
A video shared by Entertainment Tonight shows him getting into character and frankly having the time of his life while rehearsing lines from the show.
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