Before playing the cocky fighter pilot Hangman inTop Gun: Maverick,Glen Powellalmost joined theStar Warsgalaxy as the franchise’s most legendary smuggler.In an interview with GQ UK, Powell jokingly revealed that he auditioned for the part of Han Solo in Disney and Lucasfilm’s second theatrical spin-off film,Solo: A Star Wars Story. According to Powell, he admits he thinks he lost out on the part because he “blew” his final audition, with the part ultimately going toOppenheimerstarAlden Ehrenreich.
Missing out onSolo: A Star Wars Storymay have been a blessing in disguise for Glen Powell, even though the idea of playing aStar Warscharacter as iconic as Han Solo is no-doubt alluring. Not only was the filma production nightmare behind the scenes,Solo: A Star Wars Storyis often regarded as a significant financial failure for Disney and Lucasfilm, failing to reignite the same interest in the franchise that the Sequel Trilogy did. We’d argueSolois a ton of fun and worthy of another lookin the wake of its box office woes, but it’s clear that those same woes dramatically changed the trajectory ofStar Wars' cinematic future.
Glen Powell Also Lost Out on Parts in ‘Captain America’, ‘Cowboys & Aliens’, ‘Friday Night Lights’, and More
In the same interview, Glen Powell also expanded on the feeling of losing out on other big parts in notable feature films. Powell was among many considered for the “Star-Spangled Man with a Plan” inCaptain America: The First Avenger, which ultimately went to a previous Marvel star from theFantastic Fourseries,Chris Evans. Other roles that Powell noted he auditioned for and lost out on includeJon Favreau’s Western sci-fiCowboys & Aliensand the football dramaFriday Night Lights.
Despite losing out on some big parts, Glen Powell has persevered to become a star in the industry, as evident through his huge success in films likeTop Gun: MaverickandAnyone But You. Powell is continuing to set his sights high, with ambitions to makeaCaptain Planetmovieand recently expressedinterest in playing Batmanone day (he previously had a minor role inThe Dark Knight Risesas one of Bane’s victims). One statement from Powell in his interview that really drives home Powell’s commendable determination and the value in not giving up can be read here:
“It’s haunting when you blow those moments, but that’s one of the parts of [the Hollywood myth] that’s not true. That was always somebody else’s ride to go on. You know what I mean? It was never yours to go on. If you put your time in, you’ll get your ride.”
Glen Powell’s next big feature is the storm-chasing sequel,Twisters, which premieres in theaters on July 19th, 2024.
An update to the 1996 film ‘Twister’, which centered on a pair of storm chasers who risk their lives in an attempt to test an experimental weather alert system.
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