What's The Story Behind Glen Powell And Tom Cruise's Unlikely Friendship?

Glen Powell and Tom Cruise are the bromance we never knew we needed. Who would've thought that Hollywood's eternal A-lister and a rising star with a handful of credits would become such tight pals? Yet here we are, and we can thank Cruise for that. His insistence on casting Powell in "Top Gun: Maverick" helped Powell's career takeoff — and for their friendship to blossom.

Sure, actors becoming friends isn't groundbreaking, but Powell and Cruise's bond has continued to thrive even after the cameras stopped rolling. To the surprise of fans — and probably Powell himself — Cruise showed up at the London premiere of "Twisters" in casual attire, skipping the red carpet altogether to support his buddy. He even posted about it on Instagram, writing, "Fun night with friends, watching a movie!!" Powell, clearly loving every minute of it, told E! News that he and Cruise had become practically BFFs. "It's the best," he said of their friendship. "He's such a great friend and such a great mentor and it's been such a special part of my life... Making that movie together was one that changed my life."

This unexpected bromance started on set and shows no signs of slowing down. And who knows? Maybe we'll see more of them together on-screen in future "Top Gun" movies. Funnily, Powell, who spent years fanboying over Cruise, never imagined they'd end up good friends — let alone Cruise fighting to star alongside him. 

Glen Powell initially auditioned for "Top Gun: Maverick" with his sights set on the role of Goose's son, Rooster, a part that ended up going to Miles Teller. Powell told The Hollywood Reporter he felt "wounded" by the rejection, having been so sure he had it in the bag. While he was offered another role, he turned it down because the character didn't resonate with him. "I read the script, and I didn't like this guy. He was just a dick, and he wasn't even a good pilot," he said. 

But Cruise wasn't about to let Powell slip through the cracks. Drawing inspiration from Val Kilmer's Iceman, Cruise created a role just for Powell, and just like that, Hangman was born. Not only did Powell get a role, but he also gained Cruise as a de facto mentor. "Tom invited me to come sit down with him," he shared with People. "It was really a series of those conversations that convinced me that this could be a role that could actually be exciting, that I could have a little bit of creative license."

As filming progressed, Powell and Cruise became good friends. Cruise even flew Powell to London in his helicopter, personally piloting and pulling a prank mid-flight. "Tom goes 'oh no, oh no,' and he starts dropping the helicopter over London," Powell shared with GQ. "I was like, 'Am I about to be the unnamed guy that dies with Tom in a smoking hole in the middle of London?'"

When Tom Cruise asked Glen Powell what he wanted to achieve in his career, Powell didn't hold back. "Man, yours. I'm working to try to be you," Powell told The Hollywood Reporter. He knows full well, though, that Cruise is in a league of his own. "First of all, there will never be another Tom Cruise," he added. "That is a singular career in a singular moment, but also movie stars of the '80s, '90s, early 2000s, those will never be re-created."

Still, Powell strives to be half as good as Cruise, who, funnily enough, is the reason Powell wanted to become an actor in the first place. ​​"Tom Cruise is one of the reasons I wanted to get into acting," he shared with Du Jour. "So many pilots became pilots because of Top Gun, and so many actors became actors because of Tom Cruise in this film." Not only did Powell manage to forge a thriving career in show business, but he also got to work with one of his all-time idols. He also got to be best buds with the rest of the cast, too, all of whom continue to keep in touch in a secret celebrity group chat. 

"There is a moment when you're on set standing next to Tom Cruise next to an F-18 jet wearing aviators where you think, 'this is as good as it gets,'" he recalled. "It was such an out-of-body experience." From fanboy to friend, Powell's rise to success is the stuff dreams are made of.