Turns out Glen Powell may have deeper connections to the “Twister” franchise than you might think. Before he burst onto the scene with supporting roles in films like “Everybody Wants Some!!” and “Hidden Figures,” Powell was the lead of an independent romantic western from 2013 called “Red Wing” that co-starred fellow Texan actor and lead of the original “Twister,” Bill Paxton. The two bonded during the making of the film, with Paxton’s character serving as somewhat of a mentor to Powell’s and the relationship carrying on into real life.
In a recent interview on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” speaking on working with Paxton, Powell said, “I shot this movie called ‘Red Wing’ years and years ago, and Bill and I became really close on that movie.”
Powell also shared with Colbert the impact the original “Twister” had on him growing up in Texas. Speaking to the late-night host, he said, “I think I saw the original ‘Twister’ probably when I was 10 years old. I grew up in Austin, Texas, so tornado alley was part of it. And I feel ‘Twister’ was always sort of a movie that felt like it was for Texans or people in Oklahoma or Kansas, but then you travel the world and you realize it was a massive movie. Humans versus nature is a very universal thing.”
Not only did Paxton share his passion for weather with Powell on the set of “Red Wing,” but when the “Apollo 13” actor found out Powell would be playing John Glenn in “Hidden Figures,” he also offered his young co-star all of his research on space, as well as an acting tip that Powell still carries to this day.
“As an actor, sometimes you have to shoot outdoors and you’re kind of squinting and whatnot and he taught me this trick that if you close your eyes and you look up at the sun,” said Powell, “it warms your eyes up to the sun and you can open your eyes. So while we were shooting ‘Twisters,’ I was shooting outdoors the whole time so I’d used that trick my entire career since meeting Bill. And on ‘Twisters,’ I really felt like every time I closed my eyes, I got to think of Bill, which was great.”
Paxton passed away in 2017 following open-heart surgery. To honor his legacy and celebrate the release of “Twisters,” Powell shared a photo of himself with Paxton on the set of “Red Wing” on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a caption that reads, “As we release ‘Twisters’ into the world today, I just wanted to look up and tip my hat to the legend that is Bill Paxton. A great friend of mine who saw poetry in the natural world. His boots are impossible to fill, but this life is all about chasing the greats.”
