Glen Powell credits Chris Pratt for popularizing goofy leading men

While speaking with GQ, Glen Powell pointed to Chris Pratt’s role in Guardians of the Galaxy for inadvertently jump-starting his career. Prior to the release of the 2014 Marvel movie, Powell had been trying to break into Hollywood but hadn’t booked any major roles. He said studios preferred dark and brooding types like Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson, but Pratt’s Star-Lord proved there was room for heroes who were “a little more silly and buoyant,” which was more his speed.

“I remember when Chris Pratt broke out in Guardians of the Galaxy,” Powell said. “There’s no doubt it really helped—not being brooding or dark. Like, I’m not Christian Bale. Christian Bale has a gravitas and a weight, and Pattinson had his thing. And when Pratt kind of appeared on the scene where he was doing things that were a little more silly and buoyant, that’s where I feel most at home. And that’s where I feel like I had a gear that is a necessary flavor in terms of Hollywood, and not a gear that a lot of guys can play.“

Up until then, Powell said he tended to be cast as “The jock or the fraternity guy or the very vanilla next-door-neighbor vibes. You get cast into these very broad things.” The actor has been hitting it out of the park with roles in Top Gun: Maverick, Hit Man, Anyone but You, and Twisters, but his biggest project is still on the horizon. He’s set to star as Ben Richards in Edgar Wright’s upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man.

The official synopsis for The Running Man: “In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.“

The Running Man will hit theaters on November 17.