There is no such factor as “normal,” however speaking to Twisters actor Glen Powell raises the chance that… there may be?
Powell, who has fashioned a tight relationship with naturalist filmmaker Richard Linklater over movies like Everyone Desires Some!! and this yr’s Hit Man, has resuscitated the artwork of film stardom by Common Man swagger. His clean-cut look made him a match for the display screen, however early on, creators like Ryan Murphy have been casting him in exhibits just like the horror comedy Scream Queens to lampoon the Common Man. Success got here when he ratcheted up the human ingredient, charming in rom-coms like Set It Up and Anybody however You, and doing the hotshot pilot factor again to again in 2022’s Prime Gun: Maverick and Devotion. He’s not often taken sci-fi or supernatural gigs exterior his look in Spy Youngsters 3-D: Sport Over, his first-ever function on the age of 14, and Twisters, which strives for “cli-fi” realism.
The actor’s pursuit to play each iteration of the Common Man takes an essential subsequent step in Audible’s new comedy podcast The Best Man’s Ghostwriter, out this September. An audio-friendly twist on the Hitch method, comic Matthew Starr’s collection follows Nate (Powell), a speechwriter who makes a speciality of prepping nervous finest males whose impulses are to make obscure Batman jokes to wedding ceremony crowds. However Nate is aware of that specificity is key to a highly effective reception second; within the premiere episode, a finest man performed by Fallout’s Zach Cherry solely cracks his speech after Nate urges him to lean into the pastime he shares with the groom: Dungeons & Dragons. Nate has a imprecise thought of what a d20 is, however he is aware of what typically bonds pals are the random hobbies and pursuits they discovered on the proper time of their lives.
Powell is a pure bounce board for The Finest Man’s Ghostwriter’s eclectic forged — which incorporates Nicholas Braun, Ashley Park, D’Arcy Carden, Lukas Gage, Alex Wolff, Nicole Byer, Jason Mantzoukas, and Jonathan Van Ness — however I questioned: Is the true Powell truly this “normal”? Sure, he is. Polygon jumped on the cellphone with the actor to atone for his everyman journey and what, if something, he geeks out over.
Polygon: Regardless of the nerd web spending a lot of time fan-casting you in superhero roles, you are likely to play a lot of “normal” individuals who discover themselves in comparatively regular conditions — is that by alternative?
Glen Powell: I believe the one factor you have got when it comes to selecting roles is simply your intuition, what you genuinely reply to and what worlds form of compel you. Simply on an emotional degree, at this section of life the place a lot of my pals are getting married, I’ve gone to a lot of weddings, you do a lot of thinking at a lot of weddings, and you watch a lot of finest males give a speech. You rise up there generally and you’re on the opposite facet of it, and it’s a excessive stakes second that’s loaded. It’s the fruits of a friendship, the definition of a friendship. You don’t have these fairly often, to attempt to present up for someone on an important day of their life. And I discover that when there’s strain round stuff, there’s normally a lot of comedy round it, too, and there’s normally a lot to be mentioned.
And so when Matthew Starr introduced this to me… not solely was he a finest man’s ghostwriter, like this is actually what he did, which is so humorous. It’s just like the Hitch factor — there are individuals which are Hitch! That’s a actual factor. Matthew Starr is the Hitch of the marriage world. I’ve all the time appreciated tales about strange individuals, and it doesn’t matter what odds there are, whether or not the chances are extraordinary when it comes to their inside battle, or they’re up towards extraordinary odds, I don’t know, these are the characters I are likely to relate to. However I believe all you are able to do is kind of gauge the place you’re in your life.
Nate doesn’t essentially perceive all of the comedian ebook and tabletop recreation references his purchasers are making, however he understands why they’re essential. On that time, is there something you’re notably geeky about?
I believe that anyone who is aware of me is aware of I’m very geeky about a lot of issues. That’s the humorous half about the characters that I’ve performed on display screen — I are likely to play, like, actually cocky douchebags. However I’m a very passionate particular person about a lot of stuff. I geek out about a lot of issues. I throw themed events. I really like geeking out about motion pictures. I’ll host recreation nights.
What video games do you play at recreation evening?
My household likes this recreation known as Fishbowl. It’s like a three-step charades sort of recreation, which is a massive ranch favourite. We play this recreation known as Pitch, we clearly play Mafia, I’m working charades…
You’ve cornered the appearing video games!
The guts of the podcast is about how friendships, on this case male friendships, are sometimes constructed on hobbies that persist by time for nearly unexplainable causes. Was that relatable? Do you have got these?
As I’ve navigated completely different phases of my life, I really feel like I’ve had a lot of various, very particular chapters, and life’s modified in all kinds of the way, and it’s all the time fascinating to me, pals which are nonetheless round, that keep on with you and what bonds you. If comfort bonds you, it’s bought an expiration date, and I discover that that’s why I used to be actually drawn to this.
I used to be truly speaking about this with considered one of my finest buddies: We turned pals proper after he married, and he informed me the opposite day, “I can’t believe you weren’t my best man. Like it blows my mind that you were not at my wedding.” Typically you go to a wedding ceremony and generally the individuals which are there, who is aware of if these individuals proceed to be in your life, proper? And to seek out those that navigate all of the completely different chapters and seasons is a fascinating thought. I believe it’s actually what the speech is about. It’s making an attempt to outline if this is the only option that appears good in a tuxedo or if this is the individual that’s gonna marry you and bury you.
You’re an actor who clearly is aware of the right way to carry out for and make the most of the digicam. Right here you solely have your voice — was there a film or different challenge the place you sharpened that weapon in your appearing arsenal?
I did this Audible unique known as 10 Days the place I play a man within the G League who will get a 10-day contract on the 76ers. And it’s actually good, like actually Rocky-esque. And I noticed, as I used to be listening to it, that I actually misjudged the medium, and what you are able to do with the medium, when it comes to the sound design and consideration, when it comes to efficiency. I used to be like, Wow, there’s a lot to do right here, there’s a lot to play with. The best way the viewers is listening is simply a degree of engagement… You’re participating your creativeness, you recognize? You’re getting to present them a efficiency that needs to be grounded on this situation, so you need to use your creativeness for that, and then belief them to finish this factor themselves. It’s completely different from something I’ve ever accomplished. It’s like placing on a play, begin to end, however being inside somebody’s head. It’s cool. So I simply personally geeked out as we have been producing this factor, on a storytelling degree and an appearing degree — it was advanced and enjoyable.
The Finest Man’s Ghostwriter premieres on Audible on Sept. 12.
