FROM TOP GUN TO HIT MAN GLEN POWELL ON LEAVING TINSELTOWN TO GO IT ALONE IN TEXAS

Denzel Washington's agent as a cross between Richard Gere and William Hurt and, although it took a while to live up to the compliment, the 35-year-old actor has come to show he embodies those film-star qualities.

- GILL PRINGLE

Audiences caught up with that early buzz two years ago, when Glen appeared opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick.

And today, there's no denying his star power, with the romcom Anyone But You followed by his current role in romantic action comedy Hit Man and forthcoming tornado movie Twisters.

But he's not just another handsome screen star. Hit Man also demonstrates Glen's offscreen talents: he co-wrote the script after becoming enthralled by the true story of strait-laced college professor Gary Johnson, who secretly worked as a fake assassin to help US police.

"It was early in the Covid-19 pandemic when I stumbled upon an article in Texas Monthly called 'Hit Man'. It was immediately clear that this was a compelling character," says Glen.

HOME CALLS

The actor had not long moved back to his home city of Austin, Texas, having grown tired of Hollywood after 15 years. He had experienced everything Tinseltown had to offer, kickstarting his career living in a guest house in Beverly Hills while going to auditions and dating models, including a four-year relationship with Gigi Paris.