Glen Powell shares how he coped with years-long struggle before Hollywood success: ‘Have to lie to yourself’

Glen Powell opened up astir struggling for years arsenic an aspiring histrion earlier uncovering fame. 

Over the past mates of years, the 36-year-old histrion has cemented his presumption arsenic 1 of Hollywood's astir bankable stars pursuing a drawstring of deed movies. However, Powell's vocation occurrence was hard-won. 

During a caller interrogation with Vanity Fair, helium candidly reflected connected facing a long, uphill conflict portion helium was striving to marque it successful the amusement industry. 

"As a struggling actor, there’s nary harder spot to unrecorded than being successful Hollywood with thing going on," Powell admitted.

Glen Powell reflected connected his years-long conflict to marque it successful Hollywood. (Monica Schipper/FilmMagic)

He continued, "The currency of that municipality is however applicable you are and what your past occupation is. It makes you oppressively self-aware."

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"Where radical tin get caught successful a rut is wherever they conscionable privation to proceed spinning the roulette instrumentality without immoderate thought of why. They conscionable enactment astatine the array for nary crushed different than to enactment astatine the table."

The Austin, Texas autochthonal made his movie debut successful 2003's "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over," Powell was successful his elder twelvemonth of precocious schoolhouse erstwhile helium landed a relation successful Denzel Washington's 2007 movie "The Great Debaters."

After being impressed by Powell's talent, Washington introduced the histrion to his cause Ed Limato. In May, Powell told The Hollywood Reporter that helium was successful his freshman twelvemonth astatine the University of Texas astatine Austin erstwhile Limato called and asked if helium was attending "The Great Debaters" premiere successful LA.

Powell recalled that helium met with Washington and Limato, who convinced him to determination to Hollywood.

The histrion opened up astir experiencing "long stretches of famine." (Dave Benett/WireImage)

After leaving Austin for LA, Powell spent years trying to onshore roles, enduring agelong periods betwixt acting gigs. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Powell recalled however helium was capable to person himself not to springiness up connected his dreams during hard times.

"Even astatine the darkest moments successful that town, erstwhile I truly didn’t person thing happening, you benignant of person to prevarication to yourself, astatine slightest a small bit, and enactment similar this is that section of the communicative wherever things conscionable aren’t going right," Powell said. 

"You person to judge successful the Hollywood legends of those radical that you admire, the radical that you’re chasing, that had those agelong stretches of famine arsenic well," helium added. "I’m precise grateful astir getting a accidental to recognize a batch astir writing. I had to inhabit antithetic types of jobs that allowed maine to recognize however to concern things, and nutrient things. I started knowing a facet of this concern that’s truly serving maine close now."

Powell, who precocious produced and starred successful the enactment drama "Hit Man," told Vanity Fair that helium learned to beryllium proactive during his aboriginal years successful the business.

"I’d deed random radical up and I’d effort to drum up wealth for different people’s shorts to crook them into features, oregon I’d effort to hunt down worldly and transportation radical to get a tiny relation successful things," helium said. "In LA, you are truly conscionable hustling to conscionable effort to beryllium a portion of the experimentation astatine all. People are like, ‘Oh man, auditioning indispensable beryllium tough.’ And I’m like, 'No, auditioning is simply a luxury.'

"Finding an agent, uncovering anybody to speech to you astatine a damn party, having capable wealth to wage for headshots, these are the things that nary 1 talks about," Powell continued. "Trying to wage for acting class, and trying to get better." 

"Auditioning feels similar you’re astatine the party. You’ve gotten past the velvet rope. You whitethorn not beryllium capable to spend a portion astatine the party, but you’re successful it, you tin sensation it. But truthful often successful Hollywood, astir of the clip you are extracurricular that velvet rope. Most of the clip the bouncer is not adjacent allowing you anyplace successful the vicinity."

Powell said helium would fell a flask successful his footwear due to the fact that helium couldn't spend to wage for drinks erstwhile helium went out. (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

For galore years, Powell supported himself by taking connected tiny roles successful movies and making impermanent appearances successful TV shows. However, helium told Vanity Fair that changes successful the manufacture person presented adjacent greater challenges for up-and-coming actors.

"The concern nary longer supports struggling actors the mode it did erstwhile I was benignant of coming up," helium said. "I would bash an occurrence of ‘NCIS,’ and that would support maine afloat for a year."

However, Powell explained that helium was lone capable to enactment afloat during that clip by surviving frugally.

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"My overhead’s not high," helium said. "You’re not surviving a lavish lifestyle. You’re hiding a flask successful your footwear if you spell retired for a drink. You’re not needfully capable to spend thing important successful that town, but you are capable to enactment there. Those small jobs, similar getting a commercial, support beingness successful the system."

The actor's circumstances began to amended successful 2014 erstwhile helium landed the relation of hacker Thorn successful the star-studded enactment blockbuster "The Expendables 3." Powell became a main formed subordinate successful the TV amusement "Scream Queens's" archetypal play and returned connected a recurring ground successful the 2nd season.

In 2016, Powell starred arsenic portion of the ensemble formed successful Richard Linklater's movie "Everybody Wants Some!!" Linklater and Powell reunited for "Hit Man," which was directed by the Oscar-nominated filmmaker.

Powell made his breakthrough erstwhile helium starred alongside Tom Cruise successful "Top Gun: Maverick." (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

He won his archetypal relation arsenic a starring antheral successful the 2018 Netflix romanticist drama "Set It Up" other Zoey Deutch. Powell went connected to play Lt. Jake 'Hangman' Seresin successful the highly-anticipated "Top Gun" sequel "Top Gun: Maverick," starring Tom Cruise.

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Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Top Gun: Maverick" wasn't released until 2 years aft accumulation wrapped. During that time, Powell told The Hollywood Reporter that helium astir went broke.

Released successful May 2022, "Top Gun: Maverick" became a mega-hit astatine the container office. Powell reached a caller tallness successful his vocation with the astonishment occurrence of his adjacent project, the 2023 Netflix romanticist drama "Anyone But You," successful which helium starred other Sydney Sweeney.

Powell co-starred with Sydney Sweeney successful the deed romanticist drama "Anyone But You." (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Powell astir precocious starred successful the deed catastrophe movie"Twisters," which raked successful $371 cardinal astatine the planetary container office.

While speaking with Vanity Fair, Powell reflected connected staying existent to himself portion navigating fame.

"I’ve failed for a batch longer than I’ve succeeded," helium said. "I’ve truly gotten a accidental to spot different radical bash it. And what I realized is, I deliberation the trap is trying to acceptable into the mold of thing similar that wherever it’s inauthentic."

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