Glen Powell has captivated audiences’ attention with his notable projects in the film and television industry. Initially gaining prominence with the comedy-horror series Scream Queens, he gained critical acclaim in the action and rom-com genre. He is again garnering limelight with another interesting rom-com action project, Hit Man, released in limited theatres this Friday.
The actor got candid about the making of his new project, including the time when the industry kept on rejecting his movie.
Glen Powell Got Candid About the Issues He Faced in Hollywood While Working on Hit Man
Glen Powell, for anyone who doesn’t know, has contributed a lot in writing the screenplay with director Richard Linklater for Hitman. In a recent appearance with Collider Interviews, he expressed his thoughts on making the Hitman movie, reflecting on his writing journey in Hollywood.
When asked to share the challenges he has faced in the past as a writer, including the present as his 2023 project got greenlighted, he reflected on several key difficulties.
He shared,
I mean, there’s some writers, even at the studio level, who are some of my favorite writers that have never had a credit made. Every time I read their scripts, I’m like, ‘This is unbelievable, they’re so talented.’
Despite their talent in writing, the industry is not lenient in its criticism system, which often results in throwing an idea off the table before anything.
He continued to reflect on the struggle that writers have to go through before a movie gets a green light for production.
But Hollywood is not a meritocracy, and just because you write something compelling and great, there are a thousand other people that have to say yes to get that movie to the screen.
While appreciating Linklater for his contribution to the movie, the Top Gun: Maverick star expressed that the movie faced several rejections as they made it independently. He continued,
We actually took this thing out, and everybody said no. We were kind of confused because we thought, ‘This movie is awesome; we loved writing it.’ We wrote it on spec and thought it was going to be a big deal.
He added that the genre mashup of this movie allowed them to explore “exciting, sexy, and had thrilling elements and romantic elements” but “it was kind of screwball—the business didn’t know what to do with it.” While the obstacle in itself was enough to disappoint anyone to leave the project, Powell learned to trust his instincts, which allowed this project to become a reality.
Hit Man is Close to What Glen Powell Wants in His Career
Apart from writing, Powell has also contributed to producing and starring in the project. The Netflix project is filled with twists and turns as it is based on a true story.
The screenplay of the movie is based on the 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article of the same name by Skip Hollandsworth, detailing the extraordinary career of Gary Johnson, a professor turned fake hitman.
Reflecting on producing recent projects, he told PEOPLE,
I really have this moment where I can tell the stories I’ve always dreamed about telling, and the movies that got me into this business in the first place. I’m trying to find the gaps in the marketplace, the gaps that are sort of in my heart on a theatrical level, and give audiences that.
The movie follows Powell as a New Orleans Police contractor who goes undercover as a hitman to catch criminals. It stars Adria Arjona as Powell’s on-screen lover, Austin Amelio, and Retta.
Hit Man is running in selected theatres before streaming on Netflix on June 7.
