Glen Powell Hated His Top Gun: Maverick Character Initially, Thought Hangman Was A "Navy Draco Malfoy"

Glen Powell disliked his Top Gun: Maverick character at first.

In the Top Gun sequel, Powell played Lt. Jake 'Hangman' Seresin, a character he had reservations about portraying because he thought was a "Navy Draco Malfoy", a reference to the Harry Potter's arch-nemesis.

In a GQ interview, Powell, 34, said, "He was there to add conflict to Rooster's character [played by Miles Teller], which is a good thing, but he wasn't three-dimensional and he had no pay off. I didn't know why he existed."

Good thing he had Tom Cruise, producer Jerry Bruckheimer director Joseph Kosinski and writer Christopher McQuarrie to tell him otherwise. They managed to convince him that he could mold Hangman into a more well-rounded character. 

“It was a leap of faith,” he said. “In hindsight, I’m like, God, I can’t imagine if I missed out on this one, but it wasn’t so obvious.” 

Powell explained how Tom Cruise helped him to discover ways to make the character more likeable and explained how body language such as putting his feet up could alienate audiences in foreign markets.

The Expendables 3 actor recalled Cruise telling him: "It's not that I need people to root for you, but I need them to love watching you.

"In some places in the world, this piece of body language will turn them off emotionally to your character."
Powell revealed that working with Tom has given him a better knowledge of the movie industry and he now has a clearer idea about the type of actor he wants to be.

He said: "To make movies on that scale, if you want to make a Top Gun: Maverick, with that budget, you have to be able to justify your value as a star, and your creative influence, to make sure that movie will play everywhere.

"That's where studios trust Tom. They look at Tom and they go, 'Yeah, you know how to do this, go do it.' I find that to be a really fun challenge. Do I have the ability to do that?"

Powell plays another aviator in his latest, Devotion, an actioner about US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. The movie, which also stars Jonathan Majors, opened in the US last week; no word on whether it will be released in Singapore. 

— BANG SHOWBIZ

Photos: TPG News/Click Photos