Glen Powell’s career started slowly, but after his breakthrough, he is in more demand than most. He started his career by doing small roles in big films like The Dark Knight Rises and The Expendables. But we got to see the rise in his popularity when he did the series, Scream Queens.
Recently, the Set It Up actor starred in one of the biggest films of the year, Top Gun: Maverick. His demand has immensely increased in the industry with this $148.8M scorer film. The actor won a jackpot when he got the opportunity to star in two aviation films, all because of Tom Cruise’s advice.
Tom Cruise Advised Glen Powell To Take Up 2 Aviation Projects
For Powell, there is no comparison between the two films, Top Gun: Maverick and Devotion. Both films were released in the same year and have made aviation movies even more famous. But Powell was confused about whether he had room for another film i.e Top Gun: Maverick. Well, that’s the reason he shared his thoughts with Tom Cruise and asked for his opinion.
The Hidden Figures actor revealed the life-changing conversation he had with Tom Cruise about these films. The 60-year-old explained to him that there was no need to make a choice between these two films as he could always go for both.
“I said, ‘Hey, Tom, I already have a naval aviation movie that’s really close to my heart. And Tom said, ‘There’s room for two. You can do “Top Gun,” you can do “Devotion.” You don’t have to choose.’ The fact that Tom gave me the liberty to make both, Black Label and Sony gave me the liberty to make both — I feel like these are two movies that could not be more different from each other, but really complement just the love of aviation and the legacy of our men and women in uniform.”
This advice from Tom Cruise proved to be beneficial for Powell as both films did great at the box office.
What Role Did Glen Powell Play In Top Gun: Maverick & Devotion?
Devotion is a film based on the 2015 novel of the same name. The movie stars Jonathan Majors in the lead role as Jesse Brown, and Glen Powell as his best friend/wingman, Tom Hudner. The film is an inspirational story of the US’s first black aviator, his heroic sacrifices, and a tale of a beloved friendship. The film got pretty positive reviews and scored a box office record of gross $21.8M internationally.
Speaking of Top Gun: Maverick, it’s the story of an aviator who served 30 years in the navy and returns to the ground to train the top guns for a new mission. Glen Powell plays the role of Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the film. This aviator-based film became one of the biggest films of Tom Cruise’s career.
Adam Makos, the author of the book Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice, was quite afraid that Powell might accept the offer of the Tom Cruise-led film and reject Devotion.
“I thought, ‘Jeez, he’s gonna go for that. He’s gonna leave us behind.’ Because who wouldn’t want to act alongside Tom Cruise?”
But Powell was smart enough to hear Tom Cruise’s advice and grabbed the opportunity to do both films.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
