It’s no secret that Glen Powell is a student of the Tom Cruise school of movie stardom. The 37-year-old’s career has been on a remarkable upward trajectory after he popped in a key supporting role in Top Gun: Maverick – which, given the similar impact it had for co-stars Miles Teller, Lewis Pullman, and Monica Barbaro, sits alongside Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood as a key launchpad for today’s rising stars. But of them, Powell especially has been open about his efforts to learn from Cruise, who has become a mentor.
Since Maverick, he’s been particular about his projects. His 2023 rom-com Anyone But You paired him with Sydney Sweeney to great success, financially if not critically, to the point that the two have a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan streak in the genre waiting for them if they want it. In 2024, Twisters put him front-and-center in a big-screen thrill ride, while Hit Man, which Powell co-wrote with director Richard Linklater, showed off the full extent of his leading man charm.
His choices speak to his desire to be an old-school movie star, the kind that the industry supposedly can’t mint anymore. He’s aiming to become someone audiences trust to deliver a good time, and if he succeeds, whatever movie Glen Powell will be a
The Running Man Is Glen Powell’s First Real Tom Cruise Test
