Glen Powell: From Spy Kids 3 To Twisters

Glen Powell has become an unlikely star in the past two years, between beloved roles in the action movie "Top Gun: Maverick" and the throwback rom-com "Anyone But You." Hollywood's newest golden boy grew up in Austin, Texas, and though he hit his stride in his 30s, he first hit screens as a teen, doing a variety of guest TV roles and smaller films before taking on leading roles and writing his own projects.

Audiences know him now for his handsome, cocky heroes and affable love interests, but his resume is full of gems that you're sure to recognize him from. You may not have known it was him at the time, but looking back, his star power is apparent, even if he's just an unnamed stock trader in a Christopher Nolan movie. Some of them even set him up for the success he has today, cementing working relationships that have made way for career-best performances and led to inductions into film hall of fames.

From his first movie appearance in "Spy Kids" to his take on the classic summer blockbuster "Twister," here's everything you need to know about actor, writer, and producer Glen Powell.

One of Glen Powell's early films started what would become a long-term relationship with director Richard Linklater. The indie director is known for films like "School of Rock," "Dazed and Confused," and "Boyhood," to name a few.

Powell was a part of Linklater's political satire "Fast Food Nation” as Steve, a high school student opposite Paul Dano's Brian. The movie is based on the non-fiction book "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser, which looks into the different aspects of the fast food industry from production to restaurant. The adaptation opts for fiction instead, following several people associated with a fictional fast food chain under fire after an independent study showed that the meat they use in their burgers is contaminated with feces. Nothing is quite what it seems, even when the corporation's marketing director, Don Anderson (Greg Kinnear), heads to the production facilities to see what's going on.

Powell's role in the film is small, but it was the start of a pivotal relationship for the young actor. "Fast Food Nation" was the first of several films the actor made with Linklater, the others being "Everybody Wants Some!!," "Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood," and "Hit Man."

It wasn't until 2015 that Glen Powell had his first leading role on the small screen. Powell starred as Chad Radwell in the Ryan Murphy project "Scream Queens." A combination of the frights of "American Horror Story” and the laughs of "Glee," the series lasted two seasons on Fox. The cast featured alumni from Murphy's other shows, including Emma Roberts as Chanel Oberlin, Billie Lourd as Sadie Swenson, and Lea Michele as Hester Ulrich. Other additions to the cast include Nick Jonas, Keke Palmer, Taylor Lautner, Ariana Grande, and Patrick Schwarzenegger.

Chad Radwell is Chanel Oberlin's boyfriend, who is turned on by death. Initially leaving her at the start of the series because of her sorority's new recruits, the two are on and off throughout the first season of the show. In the second season, Chad is a medical student who faces an untimely death and continues to appear throughout the season as a ghost. Angela Tricarico writing for Decider argued that Chad is still Powell's best role to date, calling the character a "horror himbo" who is "wildly different" from anything else he's played so far. Despite the character being incredibly unlikeable, Powell's performance makes sure you root for him anyway.

Many rom-com fans know Glen Powell from "Anyone But You," but they should seek out his first rom-com as the male lead — the Netflix hidden gem "Set It Up." The film sees Powell reunite with Zoey Deutch. The two previously appeared in the Richard Linklater-directed "Everybody Wants Some!!," but they play lovers this time in "Set It Up."

Powell is Charlie, an overworked and underpaid assistant to venture capitalist Rick Otis (Taye Diggs). With the help of Deutch's Harper, the two set their bosses up to give them free time and normal work hours, but the assistants fall in love in the process. "Set It Up" received favorable reviews, with Entertainment Weekly calling it "the gold-standard for the frothy summer rom-com" and complimenting Powell's ability to be "snarky without being smarmy," though noting the script felt thin. Vanity Fair said Netflix would "save the rom-com" genre with films like "Set It Up."

To prepare for playing an assistant, the actor took his agency's assistants out to lunch and invited them to tell him about their worst experiences with their bosses, he shared with Vanity Fair. His preparation also included three days working phones for his agency and visiting a venture-capitalist firm. With Powell's success with another romantic comedy, some argue "Set It Up" was actually his better entry in the genre. Vanessa Cryer, writing for The Guardian, argued that it was a new classic of the rom-com genre.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is credited with reviving the post-COVID box office, but it is also the project that propelled Glen Powell into mainstream success. The actor appears as the antagonist Jake "Hangman" Seresin. Powell originally auditioned to play Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, a role that went to Miles Teller. However, star Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski wanted him to play Hangman. Powell wasn't interested in the character as he was originally written, but after discussing his thoughts with Cruise, the character was changed and Powell signed on. He gained a mentor in Cruise, who had Powell watch a six-hour film he made to share everything he knows about filmmaking.

To prepare to play a pilot, the actor went to flight school, he told Men's Journal. That included obtaining his pilot's license — and he had Cruise to thank for his enthusiasm for flying. Powell lived as a member of the Navy, heading to Miramar, Florida, and the Marine Corps Air Station shortly after joining the cast. To honor Powell's work in "Top Gun: Maverick," "Apollo 10½," and "Devotion," the Austin Film Critics Association gave the Austin native a special honorary award. The actor was also nominated for best breakthrough performance: male by the Online Film and Television Association for his role as Hangman.

From early on in his career, Glen Powell has written his own projects. While living with a roommate in Los Angeles, he would turn the living room into a writers room as he worked to get his acting career off the ground. One of his early projects is the sci-fi short "J.A.W.," which stars "Grey's Anatomy" alum Jesse Williams and "Smile" breakout Caitlin Stasey.

His 2023 film "Hit Man" combines his writing abilities and long-time relationship with Richard Linklater. The movie is based on an article from Texas Monthly about a professor who worked with the local authorities as an undercover fake hit man. As a fake hit man, the professor dresses up in numerous ways, working to conform to what each particular suspect thinks a hit man looks like. Powell stars in the movie and wrote it alongside Linklater, who directs it. The duo screened the film at Venice International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023. Netflix bought the distribution rights.

"Hit Man" received outstanding reviews from critics, particularly regarding Powell's performance. "'Hit Man' also works as proof of Powell's versatility," Clarisse Loughrey wrote for the Independent. Chicago Sun-Times reviewer Richard Roeper wrote, "Glen Powell ... solidifies his bona fide movie-star standing and delivers some of his best work yet," while The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw wrote, "Powell's cheerfully likable performance gets us past the absurdity of this beyond-implausible premise."

Anyone who is familiar with Glen Powell knows he is a huge fan of his home state. Born and raised in Texas, the actor is a fan of the Texas Longhorns and makes it no secret that the Lone Star State holds a special place in his heart.

While promoting "Hit Man," Powell shared with The Hollywood Reporter that he is moving back to Texas, making his home state his new permanent residence. The actor originally moved to Los Angeles after his freshman year at the University of Texas. Powell's new home in Austin is just a half hour from his parents' house. He's also finishing up his college degree from the University of Texas. As his career has grown, he realized he wanted to live at a different speed than the Los Angeles lifestyle typically calls for. "And for me, especially as my parents get older and my niece and nephew are growing up, I want a separation of those worlds," Powell said.

In addition moving back to his home state, the actor was inducted in the Austin Film Society's Hall of Fame. Richard Linklater is the artistic director and founder of the society, making it even more of a full-circle moment for Powell.