Actor Glen Powell, who is now Hollywood's hottest leading man with films like Twisters, Hit Man, and Anyone But You, is just getting started.
When a comparison of the 35-year-old actor was made to Barbie star Ryan Gosling, his sweet response had hearts fluttering.
Powell hasn't stopped since he hit the ground running starring in films that further catapulted his Hollywood career, starting with his breakout role in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022.
Recently it was announced that he clinched the title role in Stephen King's latest film adaptation of The Running Man directed by Edgar Wright.
Based on the 1982 dystopian novel of the same name penned under King's pseudonym Richard Bachman, the premise centers on protagonist Ben Richards, who enters a violent reality competition to win money for his ailing daughter by evading hitmen sent to kill him.
The first movie adaptation of the thriller novel was in 1987 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, it is reported the newer film “is a more faithful adaptation” of King’s novel.
A Hollywood producer spoke to The Wrap and commented on Powell's burgeoning star power following the massive success of Twisters, the standalone sequel to the 1996 film Twister, in which he starred as "Tornado Wrangler" Tyler Owens.
Twisters exceeded expectations, grossing a worldwide total of $347.8 million. Powell's 2023 sleeper hit rom-com Anyone But You starring opposite Sydney Sweeney also fared well earning $220 million in theaters before becoming a top streaming pick on Netflix earlier this year.
The impressed producer told the entertainment outlet:
“Glen Powell is most definitely an up-and-coming movie star in the sense that audiences now go to movies to see him.”
“Unlike an actor like Ryan Gosling whose appeal is mostly limited to female audiences, Glen appeals to both females and males."
Humbled by the shout-out, Powell shared the article and penned a response on X (formerly Twitter) invoking a famous catchphrase from Gosling's character in last year's smash hit Barbie.
He wrote:
"Gosling is a legend. I’m just Glen."
For the uninitiated, the quote was a riff on the song "I'm Just Ken" sung by Gosling's Barbie character Ken, who questions in the musical number why he can't stand out from all the men in Barbie land to win her affection.
The Hollywood insider may have referred to Powell as an up-and-comer, but as far as we're concerned, Glen Powell has already arrived, taken the movie industry by storm, and swept us off our feet.
Swoon.
Fans of the leading men thought both actors could share the same space.
The Austin, Texas native's other upcoming projects include the revenge thriller Huntington, written and directed by John Patton Ford, and the Hulu comedy series Chad Powers, based on Eli Manning's character created for a sketch that aired on ESPN+ as part of the Eli’s Places series.
While The Running Man has yet to disclose a release date, fans are sure to see the dashing Glen Powell star in another promising blockbuster.
