Glen Powell shares how he coped with years-long struggle before Hollywood success: ‘Have to lie to yourself’

Glen Powell opened up about struggling for years as an aspiring actor before finding fame. 

Over the past couple of years, the 36-year-old actor has cemented his status as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars following a string of hit movies. However, Powell’s career success was hard-won. 

During a recent interview with Vanity Fair, he candidly reflected on facing a long, uphill battle while he was striving to make it in the entertainment industry. 

“As a struggling actor, there’s no harder place to live than being in Hollywood with nothing going on,” Powell admitted.

Glen Powell reflected on his years-long struggle to make it in Hollywood. (Monica Schipper/FilmMagic)

He continued, “The currency of that town is how relevant you are and what your last job is. It makes you oppressively self-aware.”

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“Where people can get caught in a rut is where they just want to continue spinning the roulette wheel without any thought of why. They just stay at the table for no reason other than to stay at the table.”

The Austin, Texas native made his film debut in 2003’s “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over,” Powell was in his senior year of high school when he landed a role in Denzel Washington’s 2007 movie “The Great Debaters.”

After being impressed by Powell’s talent, Washington introduced the actor to his agent Ed Limato. In May, Powell told The Hollywood Reporter that he was in his freshman year at the University of Texas at Austin when Limato called and asked if he was attending “The Great Debaters” premiere in LA.

Powell recalled that he met with Washington and Limato, who convinced him to move to Hollywood.

The actor opened up about experiencing “long stretches of famine.” (Dave Benett/WireImage)

After leaving Austin for LA, Powell spent years trying to land roles, enduring long periods between acting gigs. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Powell recalled how he was able to convince himself not to give up on his dreams during difficult times.

“Even at the darkest moments in that town, when I really didn’t have anything happening, you sort of have to lie to yourself, at least a little bit, and act like this is that chapter of the story where things just aren’t going right,” Powell said. 

“You have to believe in the Hollywood legends of those people that you admire, the people that you’re chasing, that had those long stretches of famine as well,” he added. “I’m very grateful about getting a chance to understand a lot about writing. I had to occupy different types of jobs that allowed me to understand how to finance things, and produce things. I started understanding a facet of this business that’s really serving me right now.”

Powell, who recently produced and starred in the action comedy “Hit Man,” told Vanity Fair that he learned to be proactive during his early years in the business.

“I’d hit random people up and I’d try to drum up money for other people’s shorts to turn them into features, or I’d try to hunt down stuff and pitch people to get a small role in things,” he said. “In LA, you are really just hustling to just try to be a part of the experiment at all. People are like, ‘Oh man, auditioning must be tough.’ And I’m like, ‘No, auditioning is a luxury.’

“Finding an agent, finding anybody to talk to you at a damn party, having enough money to pay for headshots, these are the things that no one talks about,” Powell continued. “Trying to pay for acting class, and trying to get better.” 

“Auditioning feels like you’re at the party. You’ve gotten past the velvet rope. You may not be able to afford a drink at the party, but you’re in it, you can taste it. But so often in Hollywood, most of the time you are outside that velvet rope. Most of the time the bouncer is not even allowing you anywhere in the vicinity.”

Powell said he would hide a flask in his boot because he couldn’t afford to pay for drinks when he went out. (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

For many years, Powell supported himself by taking on small roles in movies and making guest appearances in TV shows. However, he told Vanity Fair that changes in the industry have presented even greater challenges for up-and-coming actors.

“The business no longer supports struggling actors the way it did when I was kind of coming up,” he said. “I would do an episode of ‘NCIS,’ and that would keep me afloat for a year.”

However, Powell explained that he was only able to stay afloat during that time by living frugally.

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“My overhead’s not high,” he said. “You’re not living a lavish lifestyle. You’re hiding a flask in your boot if you go out for a drink. You’re not necessarily able to afford anything significant in that town, but you are able to stay there. Those little jobs, like getting a commercial, keep life in the system.”

The actor’s circumstances began to improve in 2014 when he landed the role of hacker Thorn in the star-studded action blockbuster “The Expendables 3.” Powell became a main cast member in the TV show “Scream Queens’s” first season and returned on a recurring basis in the second season.

In 2016, Powell starred as part of the ensemble cast in Richard Linklater’s movie “Everybody Wants Some!!” Linklater and Powell reunited for “Hit Man,” which was directed by the Oscar-nominated filmmaker.

Powell made his breakthrough when he starred alongside Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick.” (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

He won his first role as a leading man in the 2018 Netflix romantic comedy “Set It Up” opposite Zoey Deutch. Powell went on to play Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin in the highly-anticipated “Top Gun” sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” starring Tom Cruise.

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Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, “Top Gun: Maverick” wasn’t released until two years after production wrapped. During that time, Powell told The Hollywood Reporter that he almost went broke.

Released in May 2022, “Top Gun: Maverick” became a mega-hit at the box office. Powell reached a new height in his career with the surprise success of his next project, the 2023 Netflix romantic comedy “Anyone But You,” in which he starred opposite Sydney Sweeney.

Powell co-starred with Sydney Sweeney in the hit romantic comedy “Anyone But You.” (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Powell most recently starred in the hit disaster movie”Twisters,” which raked in $371 million at the global box office.

While speaking with Vanity Fair, Powell reflected on staying true to himself while navigating fame.

“I’ve failed for a lot longer than I’ve succeeded,” he said. “I’ve really gotten a chance to see other people do it. And what I realized is, I think the trap is trying to fit into the mold of something like that where it’s inauthentic.”

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