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“Hit Man” star Glen Powell reflects on “pretty surreal” career after 15-year journey in Hollywood
At the beginning of his acting career, Glen Powell recalled a casting director’s offhand comment that he would be lucky to “play a dead body” on CSI. That remark stuck with Powell who said he struggled in Los Angeles for over a decade trying to land acting jobs.
Despite facing some hurdles along the way, Powell said there was never a point where he considered giving up.
“There was a point where I realized that acting is not a meritocracy. And just because you exist on a longer timeline doesn’t mean it’s going to work out. Right? There’s a lot of other bigger forces at play,” Powell told “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Gayle King during an interview in his hometown of Austin, Texas.
He added, “The fact that all of those sort of detours along the way about learning how to sort of develop and raise money and write – all these things are now kind of leading me to a place where all of those weapons are at my disposal”
“Pretty surreal”
Powell’s since gone on to create box office magic – from starring alongside Tom Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick” to playing Syndey Sweeney’s love interest in the romantic comedy “Anyone but You” and beyond. Later this summer, he’ll be in Steven Spielberg’s film “Twisters.”
He said his career – and life – took a turn in what seemed like the span of a few months. People started to recognize him after his role as cocky pilot Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin in the 2022 hit “Top Gun: Maverick.”
“You sometimes…get a double take or whatever. But now, it’s definitely been an interesting change in terms of my privacy and my personal life,” he told King.
But he said the biggest change is getting calls from filmmakers he’s dreamed about working with – like Spielberg.
“That part has been pretty surreal,” he said. “You sort of have on your vision board…you know, that you’ve been dreaming about…that you’re just massive fans. And now they’re my friends – and potential colleagues. It’s like, it’s pretty crazy.”
Co-writing “Hit Man”
One person who’s always been in his corner is Oscar-nominated film director Richard Linklater who he’s worked with for nearly two decades. The pair teamed up to co-write the film “Hit Man,” inspired by a true story Powell read about in Texas Monthly about a man posing as a hired assassin.
The film centers around Gary Johnson, a psychology professor who built audio-visual equipment for the police department in sting operations and moonlights as a fake hit man. The film takes unexpected twists and turns when Johnson falls for a client.
“I’m not going to give away the ending. But I did find myself being surprised at myself that I’m rooting for things that go against everything I believe in,” King told Powell.
“That’s the magic trick of this… We always conceptualize this as the beginning of a beautiful family, the beginning of a beautiful love story – you have to go on that ride ’cause if you really believe in love, sometimes love takes really unexpected, weird turns,” replied Powell.
Meeting Powell’s parents
Powell’s parents, Cyndy and Glen Sr., told King they knew their son had something special at a young age.
Cyndy remembers his kindergarten teacher describing him at a parent-teacher conference, saying, “I’ve taught 30 years and I’ve never seen somebody have the presence this kid has.”
She said, ‘He’s either going be an actor or president,” Cyndy recalled.
The pair have enjoyed following Powell’s career journey through the years.
“We all read lines with him,” Glen Sr. added.
Powell said his mom and two sisters, in particular, are always quick to give him feedback.
“I don’t think the truth is avoidable. I think I have, I grew up around very, very strong women who, who are not afraid to speak their mind, I think is the healthiest thing, as a guy to grow up with, really strong women running the family, you know,” Powell said.
No matter what, Powell said he’s comforted to have a family who will stick by his side.
“You don’t ever know how far this journey’s going to take you, but I knew that they were going to be with me, win or lose. And that’s been amazing because right now we’re getting to win,” he said.
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Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, dies at 84
Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, died Friday, a producer who worked with him confirmed to CBS News. He was 84 years old.
A post on his Instagram account said Lesh “passed peacefully this morning.”
“He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time,” the post said.
One of America’s most enduring musical groups, The Grateful Dead was formed as a quintet in California in 1965, according to their official website. Jerry Garcia, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Bob Weir Bill Kreutzmann and Phil Lesh made up the original band members. The band signed to Warner Brothers in late 1966, releasing their self-titled debut later that spring.
The band went on to tour for the next half-decade — an era, the band said was their most creatively fertile. Somea members left, some died, and others were added, but the original magic of Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia stayed intact through some of their most tumultuous years. Garcia died in 1995.
The Grateful Dead toured extensively garnering legions of fans around the world for their ability to play music and “jam.”
In 2007, the band received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Recording Academy.
The band broke the record for the most Top 40 albums to chart on the Billboard 200 in 2024. Even though the band disbanded in 1995 following the death of singer Jerry Garcia, its archival albums’ popularity pushed the music into the Top 40. Forty-one of the band’s 59 entries in the Top 40 have happened since 2012.