Step aside Tom Cruise, there may be a new savior of cinema: Glen Powell.
The “Twisters” actor, who is a certified student of Cruise’s movie star status after the duo starred in “Top Gun: Maverick” together, recently took to social media to voice his love of theatergoing and thank “Twisters” fans. The quasi-sequel reimagining of the ’80s disaster film surpassed box office predictions to become a theatrical hit.
“When I was a kid, during the summer I begged my parents to stay in the movie theater all day. Not just cause it had the best air conditioning in Texas, but because summer movies were designed to give you your money’s worth,” Powell captioned. “And I always got to share that cinematic experience with a theater full of people who were on the same ride with me and left with the same rush. So seeing the universal response to ‘Twisters’ has really been a dream come true.”
The “Hit Man” star and co-writer added, “Whether I have the privilege to be on the screen or have the joy of sitting in the theater, nothing makes me happier than the movies.”
Powell recently told Us that his love of theatergoing is deep-rooted, and obviously impacted his life-long dream of being an actor.
“It sounds silly, but when you have a great passion, it’s not really work. I’ve loved movies my whole life,” Powell said. “Since I was a kid, I had a video camera around my neck. I always asked my parents to stay in the movie theater all day during the summer. I love summers because I love summer blockbusters. [Movies are] my love language. I feel like I’m getting a chance to do the thing I’ve always wanted to do.”
He continued, “I just want to keep doing this job, and I hope they keep letting me. That’s why I wake up and take this job seriously. I [was] an unemployed actor for a really, really long time, so I know what it’s like to dream of [being a working actor] and not be able to do it. As long as I can stay in the game, I’ll be happy.”
During the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Powell teased his other upcoming projects and even said he would want to star in a musical, specifically a remake of “Singing in the Rain” which he deemed one of his favorite films.
“Gene Kelly was a big hero of mine, so if I were to do a musical, that’d probably be the one,” Powell said.
He previously announced that he was working with Ryan Murphy on a Broadway show, in addition to leading Edgar Wright’s “The Running Man” remake. Read Powell’s recent interview with IndieWire where he teases his collaboration with Wright here.
And while Powell may seem like one of the most box office bankable stars of 2024, his “Anyone but You” director Will Gluck revealed that there was some studio trepidation for the rom-com getting a theatrical release.
“It was a little bit of a battle to convince everybody,” Gluck told The Hollywood Reporter of working with Columbia. “I just had to explain how good the people in the movie are and how impactful a theatrical experience could be.”