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Top Gun: Maverickwas not only a treat to the film industry but to the eyes as well thanks to Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, and of course, Glen Powell. The actors put their best foot forward into making the film what it is and somewhere along the way, we fell in love with every single face we saw on the screen. Whether it was the film’s intense, emotional, or fun scenes like the one on the beach, everything was crafted to perfection.
In short,Top Gun: Maverickdid everything right to make it big at the box office and become a fan favorite. However, Glen Powell almost missed out on being a part of this iconic film because of his disappointment. The actor really wanted to be a part ofTop Gun’s sequel but wanted to play a different character than the one he did. He was so heartbroken due to the loss that he almost walked away from the film.
Glen Powell Almost Said Goodbye toTop Gun: Maverick
While in conversation withThe Hollywood Reporter,Glen Powellrevealed that he did all he could to nail the audition for Rooster inTop Gun: Maverick.The actor even spent time at two bases and worked with real-life pilots to really get into the essence of the character. In the end, it came down to him,Miles Teller, andNicholas HoultafterAustin Butlerstepped away to doOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Brad Pitt Almost Beat Glen Powell to Make Hit Man Decades Ago But One Unbelievable Thing Changed the Course of History
Powell was looking forward to playing Rooster, so much so that when the director broke the bad news to him, he almost decided to decline the film completely.
He told the publication, “Not getting it was so wounding to me that I was like, ‘Oh, I care too much.’”
However, he was then offered the role of Hangman a.k.a. LT Jake Seresin. But Powell was not convinced. When reading about the new role, the actor stated that he wanted it to remind viewers ofVal Kilmer’s Iceman who saved the day while having fun. Unfortunately, he didn’t find Hangman was anything close to what he wanted him to be.
I wanted him to be reminiscent of Val Kilmer, a guy who was having fun saving the day. But I read the script, and I didn’t like this guy. He was just a d-ck, and he wasn’t even a good pilot.
And that was it for Powell. At least that’s what he thought because his co-star,Tom Cruise, wasn’t going to give up on him.
How Tom Cruise Saved the Day
In the interview, it was revealed that Cruise wasn’t letting Powell go without fighting for him. He sat theAnyone but Youactor down for a chat and asked him about his professional goals and the kind of career he wanted.“Man, yours. I’m working to try to be you,”said Powell without missing a beat.
The superstar then told him that he didn’t achieve success by picking out great roles, but rather picking out great movies and making the roles great.
“I never looked at the sky the same way again”: Being Around Tom Cruise Changes the Way You Look at Things, Just Ask Glen Powell
DirectorJoseph Kosinskifurther elaborated on this conversation with Cruise during an interview withEntertainment Weekly. He told the publication,
Once Tom found out, he was like, ‘Bring him in here. So Glen came in and I sat down in a room with him and Tom. Tom said to him, ‘What kind of career do you want Glen?’ And Glen said, ‘I want your career, Tom.’ Tom said, ‘How do you think I got here?’ And Glen said, ‘By picking great roles.’
And Tom said, ‘No, it’s by picking great movies and then I made the roles good.’ For Glen that was a real eye-opening moment. He took the role that, on the page, wasn’t as big as it is in the film and just turned it into something really, really special.
And that’s how Cruise convinced him to play Hangman. Additionally, Powell got to make a few small changes to his character as the producers agreed to let him tweak some things here and there.
After the ginormous success ofTop Gun: Maverick, we bet Powell is glad he stopped himself from turning his back on the film.
StreamTop Gun: Maverickon Paramount+.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2258
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you’re able to find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
