Glen Powell on Why He Feared He “Ruined” ‘Hidden Figures’

Carly Thomas
·2 min read
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Glen Powell is sharing why he worried he ruined 2016’s Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures.

The actor, who portrayed astronaut John Glenn in the movie, made a recent appearance on the Therapuss With Jake Shane podcast where he recalled his first time watching a rough cut of the historical drama.

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“It does get in your own head,” Powell explained. “People forget that when you’re watching a rough cut of a movie, it’s probably like watching the footage of yourself that you’re having to edit. So you sit there and you’re like, ‘I hate myself.’”

He continued, “I remember watching [Hidden Figures] for the first time on the Fox lot — and this was before all the effects were done, the music was in [and] the sound design — and I literally left the movie, and I puked in the bushes.”

The Anyone but You star noted that he truly thought he “ruined” the Theodore Melfi-directed movie starring Octavia Spencer, Taraji P Henson and Janelle Monáe.

“I was like, ‘All these women put in these great performances,’ and it’s like the legacy of these women. I was like, ‘I literally ruined this movie,'” Powell said. “It feels like the most atrocious thing you can do as an actor is just be terrible in a movie about real-life people that need a real-life story.”

However, once he saw the final cut of Hidden Figures with all the other elements added in, the Hit Man actor’s opinion changed.

“Once the music gets in there, it starts being polished a little bit,” he said. “We all want to be good…and nobody wants to be the weak point in a movie, especially when you’re talking about real-life stories.”

Earlier this week, for The Hollywood Reporter‘s latest cover story, Powell opened up about his journey to Hollywood and why he’s now leaving to return to his native Texas to be closer to his family.

“That’s the funniest part about this moment,” the Top Gun: Maverick actor said. “I’ve worked really hard for a long time, putting things together and just trying to get them in shape enough for people to give a shit. Then you get to a place where people are just like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it,’ and suddenly you’re playing musical chairs with yourself. You’re like, ‘Wait, do I sit in all these chairs right now?’”

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