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Finding significant fame in the entertainment industry, Glen Powell has now become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, who recently starred alongside Sydney Sweeney inAnyone But You. However, Powell was relatively unknown until landing his breakthrough role as ‘Hangman’ in Tom Cruise’sTop Gun: Maverick, which eventually paid handsomely.
However, there’s a catch to Glen Powell’s payslip following his role in the hit sequel to the 1986 classic. According to the actor, while his casting was a saving grace for his career as well as his bank balance, Powell revealed how his payment forTop Gun: Mavericktook some time and nearly made him go broke in the process.
Tom Cruise’sTop Gun 2Decision Caused a Major Setback for Glen Powell
Although Glen Powell has appeared in several renowned projects likeSpy Kids 3: Game Overand 16 episodes ofScream Queens, the actor didn’t rise to prominence until his appearance in Tom Cruise’s 1986 sequelTop Gun: Maverick. Playing therole of Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin, in Cruise’s 2022 movie, Powell brought to life the role of an arrogant Navy pilot undertaking a high-profile mission led by Cruise’s Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell.
“It won’t have any cultural impact”: Glen Powell is No Kevin Costner But Top Gun Actor’s Sacrifice Revived Genre Back from the Dead After Consulting Sydney Sweeney
Starring inTop Gun: Maverickturned out to be a blessing for his career, as the success of the movie immediately landed Glen Powell in some high-profile roles. Further, the film also saved his bank balance, but not before making him go nearly broke. Speaking withTHR, the actor narrated how Tom Cruise’s one significant decision regardingTop Gun: Maverick’s release almost made Powell’s accountant feel scared about his savings.
From appearing as Hangman to working alongsideTom Cruiseand marketing the movie, Glen Powell learned a lot, during the process. However, as the movie was set to hit the theatres, the COVID pandemic sent the world into a frenzy making Cruise refuse to let the studio dumpTop Gun: Maverickon a streamer. Cruise’s decision ended up being a major problem for Powell, as he knew he was sitting on a blockbuster that could immediately surge his bank balance.
I’d never made any significant amount of money on a movie, including Top Gun, and I was depleting a bank account to a point where my accountant was like, ‘This pandemic cannot last much longer,’. But Tom was already Tom; I was waiting for my life to change.
Admitting howTom Cruise’s decision eventually workedwonders for him, Glen Powell also confessed how it initially had an adverse effect on his bank balance. Since he never had a career-launching role or even blockbusters like Cruise, Powell noted that he was depleting his savings while waiting for a game changer.
Glen Powell Almost Didn’t Star inTop Gun: Maverick
Eventually Tom Cruise’s decision to releaseTop Gun: Maverickin theatres, instead of streamers served Glen Powell better than ever. The film immediately catapulted Powell’s career and launched him to global popularity. Eventually, this particular incident regarding the release of the film increased people’s respect for the actor forever. But shockingly, Powell almost never had it, since he had initially turned down the opportunity.
“It’s impossible to be around Tom Cruise and not fall in love with aviation”: Glen Powell Can’t Look at the Sky the Same Way After Tom Cruise Changed His Life
According to the star’s discussion withTHR,Glen Powellalmost didn’t appear in the film at all, since he had initially auditioned for the role of Rooster which went to Miles Teller. Certainly, the news came as a major blow to Powell who claimed to have lost all hope, after the soul-crushing incident. However, later on, Tom Cruise had to coax him back to the film to play Hangman, a role that Powell eventually had some control over.
Not getting it was so wounding to me that I was like, ‘Oh, I care too much,’
Initially disinterested in the role of Hangman because of the way the character was written, Glen Powell mentioned disliking the character. Admitting that he wanted Hangman to be a lot like Val Kilmer’s character in the movie, Powell was eventually able to convince the producers to allow him to make some small changes to his role.
I wanted him to be reminiscent of Val Kilmer [who played Iceman] – a guy who was having fun saving the day. But I read the script, and I didn’t like this guy. He was just a dick, and he wasn’t even a good pilot.
Finally, Glen Powell made some minute changes to his role as Hangman and appeared inTop Gun: Maverickalongside Tom Cruise. But then Powell had to sit idly by for two years waiting for Tom Cruise to release the film. Ultimately, as the film was released in theatres, it earned $1.4B at the box office (viaThe Numbers), from which Powell made his fair share.
Top Gun: Maverickis available on Paramount+.
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3218
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
