Signs Glen Powell Desperately Wants To Be The Next Tom Cruise

There is only one Tom Cruise but many have tried to emulate one of Hollywood's biggest icons, including Glen Powell. The two starred together for the first time in "Top Gun: Maverick" and Cruise took his younger co-star under his wing. While Powell's name is big right now, he had to work his way up, much like the "Cocktails" star who became a household name with the kitschy '80s film. After a lot of small parts, "Top Gun: Maverick" catapulted Powell's career and he became the leading man in the rom-com "Anyone But You" with Sydney Sweeney.

Powell's next blockbuster hit was the summer movie "Twisters," which raked in $80.5 million on its opening weekend, per Forbes. The "Hit Man" actor is riding the wave and heeding his mentor's words. "Cruise gave me that advice. He said, 'When things pop-off, it's just gonna get very loud. Nothing else has changed, but you determine how loud you need all that noise to be," he stated on "CBS Mornings." Powell continued, "You can turn it up or you can turn it down, but it's up to you. And I think that's the big thing that I've realized right now." Having Cruise as a mentor certainly isn't the worst thing Powell could do for his career, but it seems he's taking it a step further by molding himself to be just like the "Vanilla Sky" star.

Not everyone is lucky enough to work with their childhood idols, but Glen Powell hit the jackpot when he starred in "Top Gun: Maverick" with Tom Cruise. It almost didn't happen, however, when he didn't get the part of Rooster, per The Hollywood Reporter. When Powell was offered another role, he turned it down because he didn't like the character, but Cruise stepped in. The "Interview with the Vampire" star asked Powell where he saw himself going in Hollywood, to which he replied that he wanted Cruise's career. "I'm working to try to be you," he told his idol. Cruise gave Powell the push to talk to the producers about the character he wanted to play, and then Hangman was born.

Cruise also inspired Powell to produce the documentary "The Blue Angels," which is based on the U.S. Navy pilots who perform daring aerial feats. It just so happens that the squadron was what compelled the original "Top Gun" actor to star in the film about a flight school. "His love of aviation became my love of aviation. Once you're on a tarmac with Cruise, nothing's really ever the same. You never really look at the skies the same," Powell shared with People.

If Glen Powell wants to be the next Tom Cruise, he's well on his way. From the same megawatt smile to a head full of thick hair, the two actors sure do share a lot of similarities. That wasn't always the case, though. Powell's hair was much shorter in 2018, although it could have been for his role in "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," as he shared on Instagram.

Over the years, he started sporting a longer 'do very similar to Cruise's dreamy hair, which unfortunately has flopped at times. And, they even had a twinning moment during the premiere of "Twisters" where they both showed up wearing black outfits. "Very funny to me that everyone is acting as if Tom Cruise is just mentoring Glen Powell, when in reality Cruise has been seeking a new host body for years, and now? now the transfer is nearly complete," an X user hilariously wrote. It seems others are noticing the eerie likeness as well.

After filming "Top Gun: Maverick" with Tom Cruise, Glen Powell rode the action movie train with "Twisters" as his next blockbuster hit. It was in fact, playing Hangman prepared him to be a huge movie star. "Making that movie together was one that changed my life. It really taught me a lot about how to make a big event movie and so many of those lessons on 'Top Gun' were put into 'Twisters' and it really benefitted [me]," Powell shared with E! News.

As reported by Variety, Powell is set to play the lead in the remake of "The Running Man," which originally starred another big action star, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story follows a convict who must play deadly games against other inmates in order to survive. Seeing how Powell is not afraid to get his hands dirty, the role is perfect for him. "There's a little bit of something — though I don't think it's in all Texans — but I know that my family is very Texan. And there's a little screw loose," he told Flaunt. "Because I love doing my own stunts. And to be out in Los Angeles in general, you're sort of betting on ... well, the odds are not in your favor. So I think that Texas loose screw, maybe that's a good thing," Powell continued. One thing's for sure, it definitely puts him in the same category as Cruise, who is also known for doing most of his own stunts.

To be the best, you have to learn from the best, which is what Glen Powell did. In an interview with GQ, he revealed that Tom Cruise sent him to a theater to watch a video he had made on everything to do with acting. It turned out that Powell was the only one there and the screening was six hours long. Unfortunately, other actors who want to be the next Cruise will need a personal invitation. "He said, 'This is just for my friends,'" Powell stated. He clearly didn't mind taking the time to learn from his mentor and added, "The one thing I feel we're kindred spirits in is he's obsessed with movies. That was our love language on set. I got to watch a guy who knew every department. He was able to clearly interface with everyone, and be so friendly and respectful and be able to communicate that vision."

Cruise didn't just teach Powell the art of filmmaking. In an interview with Men's Health, the "Everybody Wants Some!!" star revealed that Cruise coached him on getting Hangman's haughty personal just right for "Top Gun: Maverick." Powell recalled, "He was like, 'You as a person are very apologetic. You don't want to hurt people, you want to treat people well, you apologize even when you don't need to. You can't have any of that in your eyes.'" Thanks to Cruise, Powell definitely proved his acting chops as the cocky lieutenant.

Having had many movie premieres under his belt, Tom Cruise undoubtedly knows how to pose for pictures. Although he wasn't in the 2024 movie "Twisters," he showed up to support his friend Glen Powell at the premiere and took the time to take some pics with him. In a sweet moment shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Powell was standing in front of cameras with his popcorn angled below his waist. As they got ready for the photographers, Cruise gestured for Powell to hold up his popcorn so that it was in the frame. "Tom Cruise: actor, stuntman, and now, popcorn posing coach. Is there anything he can't do?" Mogul Productions replied.

Powell either studied Cruise's stance or simply copied his moves during the "Top Gun: Maverick" press tour when they were captured mirroring each other's pose. As Powell shared on Instagram, both actors had one hand in their pockets with the other arm around each other. "Just a perfect way to end this press tour with the people of South Korea. So damn cool to see how this movie is affecting people on every corner of the planet," Powell wrote. As they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery, and it's apparent that Powell genuinely looks up to Cruise.