“Your body is not going to look like that forever”: Glen Powell Was Not Always Comfortable With Showing Off His Physique
Glen Powell rose to fame with his performance as Chad Radwell in Scream Queens; a comedy-horror series. The actor was also appreciated for his portrayal as Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin in Tom Cruise starrer 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick.
The actor has already made an impression on the audience with his charm and charisma after starring in Netflix’s Set It Up. He will now be seen opposite Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney in a romantic-comedy Anyone But You. Fans have dubbed the actor as the modern rom-com leading man. But did you know that he had to overcome his own apprehensions about going shirtless in movies? Let’s find out.
Glen Powell wasn’t always comfortable taking his shirt off on screen
Fan favorite actor Glen Powell swooned the audience over his shirtless scene in the Tom Cruise starrer Top Gun: Maverick. The actor revealed that it may seem like he has always been confident about taking his shirt off, but that was simply untrue. In an interview with EW, while promoting his upcoming movie Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney, he said,
“Over the course of my life and career, I’ve learned to be comfortable with it. I was the kid at the pool that didn’t want to even take his shirt off. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that there’s a time in your life and your career where this is the moment to do those things.”
Powell continued,
“Because your body’s not going to look like that forever. In a rom-com, you know what you’re selling and as a rom-com leading man, you are supposed to get taken down as much as humanly possible. The while purpose of being a rom-com leading man is to look as dumb and silly as possible. And part of that is to be naked and for bad things to happen to you while you’re naked.”
Powell shared an incident in which one of his friends wanted to post about the movie but Instagram took it down as it violated the laws of nudity. This made the actor realize that he had been naked in the movie more than he initially expected.
Glen Powell talks about his love for romantic comedies
During the interview with EW, the actor was asked what draws him to pick rom-com projects. He explained that he grew up with two sisters and comes from a family of strong-willed aunts and female cousins. The actor noted that he grew up watching and idolizing the powerful on-screen couple, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, which is why he loves romcoms. He explained further,
“I ended up working for this producer named Lynda Obst when I first moved out to L.A., who was one of these iconic female powerhouse producers and a trailblazer across the board, but also was known for having the Midas touch when it came to rom-coms.”
The actor further mentioned,
“I was a script reader for a while. So I’ve read hundreds and hundreds of rom-com submissions and got to talk with her about which ones I liked and which ones I didn’t. I really had a rom-com education from one of the greats when it came to all this.”
Glen Powell also shared that growing up in a house with parents who never forget what kind of privilege it is to find a soul mate, is the reason why he is himself romantic. Powell also mentioned that grand gestures are a part of the love language his family shares.
Anyone But You is now playing in theatres.
