Glen Powell Needs a Wingman While Eating Spicy Wings Hot Ones

How soaked am I right now? I can actually see the drip, you know. It's kind of like a cartoon character. Yeah, it's a little, yeah, it's a lot. Hey, what's going on everybody? For First We Feast, I'm Sean Evans and you're watching Hot Ones. It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings. And today we're joined by Glenn Powell. He's an actor and line-like figure in the action genre from Top Gun, Maverick to Twisters, Hitman and even rom-coms like Anyone But You. Earlier this year, he launched an organic sauce brand called Smash Kitchen and his latest film is the dystopian action thriller The Running Man, which is set to release in theaters on November 14th. Glenn Powell, welcome to the show. Honored to be here. Sauce man to sauce man, how are you around spicy food before we get started? I am known for putting spicy stuff on everything, but I'm going to be honest with you, it's going to make it look like I'm in a lot of pain. I tend to sweat a lot. Like, everybody that knows me, I like, when I, even when I laugh, spit comes out of my forehead. So you know what? I'm prepared. It's going to be gross. I'm not prepared to get out of this looking cool, but I love hot stuff, so it's going to be great. Coffee date. Oh, that's good. So far, so good. So first off, I want to say that I love the movie, you know, from the rage-fueled performance to the comedy and of course the wire-to-wire action. And I love this quote that you gave to Edgar Wright, where you told him, if I'm going to be taking a shot in the face, please let them know it's me. That's the thing is that Edgar, very quickly, because he's got these shots. Edgar's one of the great filmmakers and he's got all these shots, like, lined up. You know, he's been thinking about it for a long time. And I was like, hey, Edgar, I want to do all my stunts. I want to be, you know, all in camera. And there was this one, there was one stunt that I did where I literally threw myself off of a very high place and landed, and it literally could have been anyone. And we did it over and over. And I looked at the playback and go, dude, what the ****, man? Like, I'm dying over here. And I'm like, just get my face, at least. You know, it's like, you know, when you're icing your body down the next day, you're like, I at least want the audience to know that I'm the one taking the hit. So we came to a nice little compromise over the course of the movie. Align the vision. Yeah, exactly. Crème of matcha. So I understand that you got your start in the business as a script reader for legendary producer Linda Obes, which exposed you to piles upon piles of romantic comedies. What did that education do to instill in you like the fundamentals of a great rom-com? That's a great question. I mean, you know, what I got to do is because I was so such a quick reader and I give her really fast coverage, you know, I would turn this stuff around and she'd start bringing me in a meeting. So I got to kind of start interfacing with other writers, you know, and really and directors that were developing stuff and to try to understand like how sequences in a movie work, how set pieces work, like what characters kind of were like original, what were sort of stock characters, like how you kind of mix and match to kind of give people familiar flavors, but in new packages and things like that. And that's kind of like where I guess my sort of instinct and gut around this business developed. And Linda had one of the best, you know, she had some of the best taste in town. So just to study under her was awesome. It was like, it's magical. And to kind of look back on that, it was like such a great Hollywood education and one that I'm really grateful for. That's what happens when you don't eat a big enough lunch. I'm going to go in. I think I'm going to go in on this too much. It's going to hit me on the back half. Yeah, don't let it stop you from eating. I have no governor on anything I do. Like, again, when I put hot sauce on stuff, like in the eggs, like in the morning. You'll soak them? I will soak it in hot sauce and my family will laugh at me because I'll literally eat eggs in the morning and I'll just be drenched. You're going to see me. I'm going to be drenched in a second. And I just like pour sweat, but I love it. It's just like how I wake up. You and me both. It's the greatest. So you've been very honest about the struggles that you had early on as an actor. How would you describe the gap between what you thought show business would be like when you came to L.A. as a 19-year-old versus the actual lived reality during that first inglorious decade as an actor? I guess it's always... Hold on. Do you mind if I pick some... Yeah, you can do anything you want on this show. I can just feel it's like... You have a very long leash on this show. Okay, good, good, good. You know, my first week, I found myself at a dinner sitting next to Dustin Hoffman. I was sitting next to him and he saw a movie I did called The Great Debaters. And the fact that he saw this movie just like blew my mind. I was like, this is the coolest moment of my entire life. He's like, you're a good actor. I was like, oh, thank you. You know, he goes, I got something for you. He's like, you know, let's keep in touch. So literally a couple days later, I get a call at my house from Dustin Hoffman and I'm losing my mind. I'm like, this is the coolest thing. He goes, I'm going to invite you to my office and I want you to read for something. And I'm like, okay, great. And he goes, all right, here's some pages. Can we just read them out loud? And I started reading them, but I was so like in like awe that Dustin Hoffman was sitting across from me. And then I was like, he's one of my favorite actors of all time. And I was like, but as I'm reading, I'm watching the life drain from his eyes being like, this guy sucks so bad. I was like, oh no. And you can like feel like I'm watching him, I'm losing him. And then I'm getting like being like, yeah, you're losing him. And then I look back and I'm losing him even more. And I left so defeated, right? What you start to realize is that all this business is, is play. You just like, you start looking at these guys as like, as like legends. And then you start looking at them as collaborators who are just trying to make magic for audiences around the world. You know, I think that's the, that's the difference. I think the, the, the excitement about this business hasn't worn off, but I think my perspective has. And you know what? Cause if it did, you wouldn't have made it to this point. You know what I mean? Like it would have been so hard to get through that early stage. You know, if you're chasing anything, but the magic of playing, play, pretend. That's exactly it. On that note, are you ready to move on here? Let's do this. Number four, Passiflora here in the four spot. That was the first one's got some kick. It's happening. I see the sweat. You're glistening a little bit. Yeah, right. Ribbit right above the eye. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, no, no. It's going to get worse. Looking forward to that. It's going to get worse. What advice did Sylvester Stallone give you about not over-bulking for roles? Like, was there any perspective that he shared about the muscle groups that translate well to camera versus the ones that are just a waste of mass? I mean, I have so many great stories from Expendables 3. You know, we shot that in Bulgaria like 10 years ago. He gave me this advice one time. He said, at the end of every day, you win or you lose. And I was like, that is a hardcore way of viewing every day. But he's a guy that just, he's so headstrong. And I remember when I was in the gym, you know, just like working my ass off. But I never take my shirt off in this movie. You know, I'm wearing like long sleeves. He's like, you're doing it all wrong. And I'm like, well, what? He goes, it's the traps in the forearms, the cinema muscles. It's really true. It's like, you're not taking your shirt off. He's like, just focus on the traps in the forearms. Just bulk those puppies out, you know. Stop wasting your time. Go have fun, you know. All right, I'm on. I'm going to dab. I'm going to dab the head. Yeah. Okay. Make sure that that's the right one. Yeah. No, I just, I just realized it. So you got. Yep. And if it goes wrong. You got fingertips to the left and you got face to the right. Face to the right. Okay, smart. Oh, is it chimichurri? Mm-hmm. Chimichurri habanero sauce on this one. And maybe a little. Fingers left. You got it. You're right. You sort of spice black out a bit. Yeah, there's, it's a fog of war. Yeah. It happens on set here. Yeah. It hasn't, it hasn't destroyed me yet, but I can already start to see like my mental, my mental facilities just really, really going downhill quickly. Were there any examples of life imitating art while shooting twisters? Like, were there ever any severe weather incidents on set? Oh yeah. Like shooting in Oklahoma during tornado season? That is the craziest part. There was this one scene where Daisy Edgar Jones and I are sitting on top of the truck, right? And we're looking out over the horizon and we're having this, they're kind of shooting long lens. So it's kind of, they're kind of far away. And we can, we can kind of see the crew kind of like stirring a bit and kind of getting a little uncomfortable. We can't hear anybody. We're so far away that like, we don't know what's going on. And then we, we turn around and we realize that there's a, a tornado dropping behind us. So we're like, apparently supposed to be looking at tornadoes at a distance, looking like the worst storm chasers ever. It's right behind me, isn't it? In Texas, we say that Amarillo. Little Amarillo action. Amarillo action. Uh oh. Yeah. No, hold on. I'm gonna, I'm gonna, yeah. I broke the rules already. Pull another one off the bench. Yeah. I broke the rules. All right. But at least you caught yourself. No, no. Can I tell you, that would have been a disaster. I felt it. There was a lot going on on that one. All right. So. Oh, buddy. Yeah, I know. Ooh, buddy. That one kicked me a bit. Kicked me right in the face. You and me both, you know. All right. Doing your own stunts even here. Yeah, there we go. There we go. Is someone who grew up in a home adorned with burnt orange, who's your all-time favorite Texas Longhorn quarterback and why? Um, great question. When I was in high school, Vince Young, 2005 National Championship. SC was like at the top of their game. Reggie Bushliner. It was like this dynasty that couldn't be beat. And VY just comes in and just delivers that, that final play. And it was like in Austin, growing up in Austin, Texas, like Texas Longhorn fan. My grandparents went there. My parents went there. It was like one of the greatest moments of my whole life. I'm gonna be honest with you. Um, I can feel how wet my face is. Yeah. I feel good though. I feel good. I don't know how bad I look, but I feel good. I think you look great. Little Wing 7 glow here. If you're ready, this next one is called Hawaiian Hot Tea. Finish the job, baby. No meat on the bone. The shoe drops. Yeah. Misleading, sort of like a wham. Definitely a bait and switch. Yeah, bait and switch. We've all dated this one. Yep. Oh, she seems so nice. And here she comes. It's okay. Yeah. We'll, we'll, we'll, we'll. Yeah. We'll survive. We'll get back on the apps after this, uh, this Wing. Oh ----. All right, guys. So earlier this year, we launched an organic sauce company. Smash Kitchen. Yep. I'm curious. What's your strongest held opinion on sauce? Like, do you have a sauce hot take that you're willing to share? A sauce hot take? You know, people like honey, especially most honey in the country. Not real honey. Like 80%, not real honey. We have like all organic honey, but if you add honey to anything, total banger. I agree with you there. A hundred percent. I'm going to make hot honey everything. Oh my God. Yeah, I know. No, it's okay. It's okay. On, on Top Gun, whenever, you know, you're pulling like a lot of G's, what happens is it all starts kind of like the tunnel starts going like this. As we start hitting these wings, it's starting to close. It's reminiscent. Starting to close in. This feels like Top Gun. Well, this might take it over the top. This is the bomb beyond insanity. If you're ready. Whoa. All right. I forgot my... We got plenty. Finger one, face. How soaked am I right now? I can actually see the drip. You know, it's kind of like a cartoon character. Yeah, it's a little, yeah. It's a lot. This is why I have to like, if I'm going on a date, like this is why you got to watch what you eat. Like, this is a super unsettling thing to be like on a date, a girl sees this. She's like, this guy has, this guy is not the guy that's going to protect me in a bad situation. This is a weak individual. You do not procreate with this, with this guy. You know what? This sauce, there's no shame in it because this kicks anyone's ass. I hope so. Mine included right now. If I am on a date and I do this, I'm going to call you just to, you know, back me up. Yeah, I got you. You got a wingman in me. Say what you will about me. I'm a wingman. All right. While doing research for you, all right, I came across a lot of action movie lingo and like stunt slang. So while your brain roasts in hot sauce, I was wondering if I could maybe bounce some of these things off of you and maybe you could help me define them. Okay. What's a wet down? So wet down, when you see a movie and the road is wet, right? The light is bouncing off of it. So it looks kind of magical, right? So it's good for DPS. It's good for cinematography. It looks cool. Looks cool. Also good for continuity. But hard part is for stunts. The street gets very, very wet. So if you're taking a corner really, really fast, I was told watch out for the wet down because especially when you're sprinting, you have oils on streets, you're shooting in parking lots or any of that stuff. It becomes like where you literally will eat ----. And I had that a lot of times, especially Cobblestone. Oh, a wet down on Cobblestone? A wet down on Cobblestone is like your worst nightmare. What's a jerk vest? I'm sorry, what? What'd you call me? A jerk vest. Do you know a jerk vest? Oh, oh. Oh my God. I'm like, that's how you make it in Hollywood, dude. Oh, ----. We don't talk about that. I think you said a jerk fest. Jerk vest. A jerk vest is basically like a stunt vest. You have like a wire, you get rigged. So it pulls you really hard. So it kind of supports all your ribs and stuff like that. So you're not like breaking something. So it doesn't bend you in half. It pulls you. Do you have a go-to breakfall technique? You know, the thing is, the most important thing is like to keep your body relaxed. You know, I think the thing that like, when I first started doing stunts, I would like, I would like tense up. Yeah. When somebody's going to hit you in the face or something's gonna explode near you, it's hard to kind of relax. But that's literally like, that's the way to do it. That's literally what you have to do, you know? Otherwise you're going to pull something and then you're sidelined, you know? Oh my God, I'm like really wet. And let the record show, you're right. Digging in all the way to the end. Respect. Yeah, dude. No mercy, buddy. I came here to play. I've been wanting to do this forever. It was like, the guys are just like kind of, you know, teething. It's like, let's not. That was not going to be your episode. No, ma'am. No, no. Salute. I know I'm not escaping here cool or dry. And that is what I came here to do. I'm here to finish these damn wings. Mission successful. Yeah. So a great Glen Powell fun fact is that your parents have appeared in almost every movie that you're in. A tradition dating back to Spy Kids 3. What do you think is the cameo that your parents are proudest of themselves for? Like, do they have a favorite cameo themselves? My mom just pulled off a great cameo in Chad Powers as the moaning woman. She basically plays a woman who's like in the waiting room of a hospital. I like get hurt and I'm in the hospital as well. And so there's this woman that's just like moaning in the background. No apparent injuries, just moaning. She would send my little sister and me like these videos of her practicing moaning. She's like, is this a good moan? Is this a good moan? I'm like, uh, yeah. Like there's probably more of this than this. This one's weird. You gave her notes. Yeah. And so I was giving her notes on her performance. So like, I'd be like walking around. There's like this one time where I was like walking around. I was like looking at the video of my mom, you know, practicing the moan. And somebody like observed me like, like they could, they didn't know what was on there, but all they could hear is just like me listening to moans. And I was like, oh no, no, it's just my mom. Anyway, my mom's played a professor. She's played an adult spy. She's played a drunk ATM user. She's got a wide range. I mean, she's, she's really, she's one of the great actors. One of the great actors of our generation. All right, Glenn. You know what I just did? You mixed up the... I mixed up the towel. Here we go. Is that, is that too much? Yeah, I would maybe, I'd maybe tap some of those to the side. All right. I always get accused of spanking too hard. That was so weird. Why did I say that? Blame it on the sauce. Guys, I blacked out. All right. He's drunk off hot sauce. Is that, that's like, that is, you've gone above and beyond. That's too much. Yeah, yeah, it's a lot. All right. I'll take a little bit off. Yeah. Like that. That's, let's do this. It's like a whole laundry day over here. No one has ever used that many napkins ever. It's an unbelievable, the lack of awareness I have about which napkin, it's like unbelievable how my brain is completely off. You know, if we've learned anything today, you're someone who can rise above, you know, from early struggles in Hollywood to conquering the wings of death today, to genres that rank from romance to comedy to action. I'm curious when you're 80 years old and you're sitting out on the porch, sipping a margarita on a ranch in Austin, Texas. That's what I'm talking about. What is it that you hope people say about the Glenn Powell era of movies and like what they meant and what they represented? You know, that's a great question. Literally no one's ever asked me that question, but I'm a fan of movies. Right now I'm getting to like literally build movies that I'd want to see. Like even if I weren't in them, movies as an audience member I want to see. So I just hope that, you know, when I get to the end of my career and hopefully it's a long time, I hope people are just like, damn, that dude loved to entertain us. That's it. And you know what? You entertained us today. Look at you, Glenn Powell, taking on the wings of death, living to tell the tale. Now there's nothing left to do, but roll out the red carpet for you. This camera, this camera, this camera, let the people know what you have going on in your life. Oh yeah. Guys, that wing was so hot that I forgot I have a movie coming out in a couple of weeks. Everyone go see The Running Man, November 14th in theaters everywhere. That was wild, dude. Dude, what you've created is so ******* impressive. It's so impressive, dude. It's one of those things that just brings so many people so much joy. You know, it's just awesome. That's the best thing. That's why you get into this business. Oh, ****. I definitely got something in my eye. You gotta wash. You gotta wash your face. You gotta go rinse off. I'll grab your stuff in a minute. Yeah, yeah. Hey man, I'm gonna go wash my face. Oh my god. Oh my god, I'm like really wet. Hot Ones fans, what happens when you combine the four hottest peppers on planet Earth? You get the hottest dab ever. Introducing the Last Dab Thermageddon. Grown by the one and only Smokin' Ed Curriot, unites some of the hottest peppers on the planet. Pepper X, the Apollo, Carolina Reaper, and Scorpion Pepper. Are you built for it? Pick up your bottle at hotones.com, hotones.com. 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