Glen Powell almost said no to his career-changing role in Top Gun: Maverick. Why? Well, he initially auditioned for the role of Rooster which, as we all know, went to Miles Teller. Disheartened by the loss and unamused by Hangman’s character, Glen Powell contemplated walking out of the film. That is until Tom Cruise had a word with him. Clearly, the two actors bonded during their time in the film.
In fact, Tom Cruise gave Glen Powell a gift that he rarely gives anyone – his six-hour-long movie. You certainly read that right. Hollywood’s superstar has a film school movie that he only allows to be seen by his friends. In the film, Tom Cruise does his best to teach viewers everything he has learned about filmmaking over the years and Glen Powell was one of the few lucky ones who got to see it.
Glen Powell Talks About Tom Cruise’s Secret Movie
Given everything that Tom Cruise has done in his many years in the film industry, he is in a position that allows him to impart his knowledge to others. I mean, from Risky Business in 1983 to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in 2023, Cruise has seen a graph that only knows how to go upwards.
Glen Powell bonded with Cruise while working together in Top Gun: Maverick and he came out of the film with many memories that involve the superstar. One such anecdote from his time on Maverick was when Cruise sent him to a theatre in Los Angeles where he had them play him a 6-hour long “film school” movie for him.
The film saw Cruise, who was also the producer on Maverick, explaining the A-Z of filmmaking that he has learned over his time in Hollywood.
Powell told GQ magazine,
[Cruise] is like: ‘Do we all agree that this is what a camera is? This is the difference between a film camera and a digital camera…’ The funniest part is on flying. It was like he put together this entire flight school. So he would literally go ‘OK, this is what a plane is. Here’s how things fly. Here’s how air pressure works.’”
If you are a fan of Cruise and are wondering if you’ll ever get to see the film with your own eyes, we are sorry but we are going to have to burst your bubble. As per Powell, “He [Cruise] said, This is just for my friends.” There you have it. Cruise will not be releasing the film for the masses.
Glen Powell Shares Another Hilarious Memory
In the same interview, Powell also remembered the time when he and Cruise rode a helicopter together and the latter pretended that the aircraft was going to be involved in an unfortunate crash.
Powell, having believed Cruise, remembered worrying about the fact that if they died, he’d be known as the mysterious guy who perished with the superstar of Hollywood.
Cruise and Powell were flying back to London after Maverick’s reshoots when this incident took place. The Anyone but You actor recalled,
Tom goes ‘oh no, oh no,’ and he starts dropping the helicopter over London. I was like, ‘Am I about to be the unnamed guy that dies with Tom in a smoking hole in the middle of London?’
It looks like the two actors became really good friends thanks to Maverick. Here’s hoping to see another collaboration real soon!
Stream Top Gun: Maverick on Paramount+.
