Glen Powell’s Advice to Those Struggling in Hollywood: ‘You Sort of Have to Lie to Yourself’
2024 has not been the best of years for Hollywood. In fact, by many metrics, it’s been one of the worst, but in Glen Powell’s opinion, that’s just par for the course. Speaking to Vanity Fair for this year’s Hollywood Issue, Powell reflected on his own experience facing the lean times the artist’s life is often exposed to and forcing himself to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Even at the darkest moments in that town, when I really didn’t have anything happening, you sort of have to lie to yourself, at least a little bit, and act like this is that chapter of the story where things just aren’t going right,” said Powell. “You have to believe in the Hollywood legends of those people that you admire, the people that you’re chasing, that had those long stretches of famine as well.”
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Powell said it was during these moments that he spent time understanding all the aspects of the business. He understood early on that success meant finding every lane possible into putting yourself out there.
“In LA, you are really just hustling to just try to be a part of the experiment at all. People are like, ‘Oh man, auditioning must be tough.’ And I’m like, ‘No, auditioning is a luxury.‘ Finding an agent, finding anybody to talk to you at a damn party, having enough money to pay for headshots, these are the things that no one talks about,” said Powell. “Trying to pay for acting class, and trying to get better. Auditioning feels like you’re at the party. You’ve gotten past the velvet rope. You may not be able to afford a drink at the party, but you’re in it, you can taste it. But so often in Hollywood, most of the time you are outside that velvet rope. Most of the time the bouncer is not even allowing you anywhere in the vicinity.”
Earlier in the interview, Powell acknowledged that having very little going on in a town where importance is based on how booked you are can often feel like the worst thing in the world. He’s seen many get caught in a cycle of trying to push forward for no other reason than being seen, much to their own detriment.
“As a struggling actor, there’s no harder place to live than being in Hollywood with nothing going on. The currency of that town is how relevant you are and what your last job is. It makes you oppressively self-aware,” Powell said to Vanity Fair. “Where people can get caught in a rut is where they just want to continue spinning the roulette wheel without any thought of why. They just stay at the table for no reason other than to stay at the table.”
Thankfully those days seem to behind Powell, as he’s had two huge hits this year with “Anyone But You” and “Twisters,” as well as a critical darling with his Netflix film “Hit Man.” His next project is the upcoming remake of the 1987 sci-fi action film “The Running Man” from writer/director Edgar Wright.
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