“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

At the age of 13, Glen Powell started his brush with acting. However, he truly received his seal of mass approval with the 2022 flick Top Gun: Maverick alongside Tom Cruise. Portraying Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin, the movie opened up a plethora of opportunities for him while also pushing his career to an all-time high.

These admissions come from no other than the actor himself, who recognizes the undeniable importance of the Mission Impossible star in his life at a time when he stars in the Blue Angels documentary.

Taking himself to a new height by acting as a producer for his latest venture, Powell opened up on how it all became a possibility only after his role in the acclaimed action-adventure. Moreover, he also broke down the technical aspects of his latest flight in cinema and how he shaped them to perfection.

Tom Cruise helped Glen Powell aim for the skies

Famed for his daring stunts and ageless performances, Tom Cruise still stands as one of the most versatile, fit, and daredevil actors in Hollywood. In Top Gun: Maverick, he shared a flawless chemistry with Glen Powell’s character as the two came across as the central figures in the story. Apart from imparting the wisdom of his acting masterclass, the senior actor also helped the Anyone But You star “fall in love with aviation”.

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Speaking to Discussing Film, Powell shared his experience of filming the outstandingly high-rated sequel to Cruise’s 1986 original. The process took him across naval bases around the world and surrounded him in the company of some of the best pilots in the world. Moreover, when shooting at a stretch, he had the opportunity to stay on such bases for a while and get to experience the life and energy on board, which he described as “infectious”.

It’s also really impossible to be around Tom Cruise and not fall in love with aviation. That experience was one of the most incredible in my entire life. I got to live on naval bases and be around the best pilots in the world. When you’re around the best of the best, it’s an infectious thing that happens.

The 35-year-old summed up his experiences by stating that after filming Top Gun: Maverick and Devotion, he “never looked at the sky the same way again”. Involving high-octane plane stunts and maneuvers, the film helped him gain the necessary expertise to take on his next big challenge, changing his career forever.

How Top Gun: Maverick directly impacted Blue Angels

In the same interview, Glen Powell talked about how he developed a connection and built contacts with important people in the Navy. Acknowledging that such a “trust is not easily earned,” he credited Top Gun: Maverick for helping him know “the right players” to make Blue Angels. All of it helped him gain “unprecedented access to briefing rooms and proximity to planes” unlike any other film before it.

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The actor also hoped that his plans to shoot and present the entirety of the documentary with IMAX cameras would also help the audience “catch the same bug,” referring to his love for aviation. Providing a detailed look at the U.S. Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron aka the Blue Angels, the Paul Crowder directorial fulfilled Powell’s childhood dream and fascination.

Blue Angels is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Top Gun: Maverick is streaming on MGM Plus Amazon Channel, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, and the Roku Channel.