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For many aspiring actors, Hollywood can feel like a game of chance—years of auditions, rejections, and small roles, all in hopes of landing that big break. Everyone dreams of landing that big break, but for Glen Powell, the road to stardom wasn’t exactly a red carpet.
While today Glen Powell is the heartthrob we swoon over inAnyone But YouandTop Gun: Maverick, there was a time when his career felt like it was idling in neutral, no matter how hard he tried to accelerate. The hustle was real, and so was the pressure—just ask his bank account!
So, how did Powell go from a struggling actor to Hollywood’s next big thing? Well, it wasn’t a blockbuster film, an Oscar nomination or even a viral meme. No. It was two episodes ofNCIS.
Glen Powell: From Struggling Actor to Hollywood Star—HowNCISKept Him Afloat
Back in 2012,Glen Powelltook a shot withNCIS, snagging a guest role of Evan Westcott in two episodes. At the time, this role wasn’t exactly the career-making moment he’d dreamed of, but it was enough to keep him in the game.“That’s the other interesting thing about this business right now—how much it’s changing,”the actor, 36, said in a recentVanity Fairinterview.
“Auditioning is a luxury”: Cruel Struggle Glen Powell Went Through Before Achieving Hollywood Stardom Makes Nepotism More Enraging
Powell has been around long enough to witness firsthand how much the entertainment industry has changed, especially when it comes to how it supports actors in the early days of their careers. In the past, scoring a guest role on a popular show likeNCISwasn’t just a foot in the door—it could actually keep you afloat for months, sometimes even a year, while you waited for that next opportunity.
But Powell points out that theindustry has evolved, and not necessarily in a way that benefits struggling actors:
The business no longer supports struggling actors the way it did when I was kind of coming up. I would do an episode of NCIS, and that would keep me afloat for a year. You know what I mean?
It’s easy to forget that behind every blockbuster star, there’s often a trail of smaller, forgotten roles. In Powell’s case, those small roles, like hisNCISguest appearance, weren’t just about adding to his acting résumé. They were about survival. As he explained:
You’re not living a lavish lifestyle. You’re hiding a flask in your boot if you go out for a drink. You’re not necessarily able to afford anything significant in that town, but you are able to stay there.
Those modest gigs—commercials, small TV roles—were the lifeline that kept him afloat in an industry that doesn’t always offer second chances.
How Glen Powell Beat the Odds and Found Success in Hollywood
While these small victories kept Glen Powell from sinking, they also highlighted a stark truth about Hollywood. It doesn’t exactly hand out sympathy for the starving artist. In fact, there’s a brutal reality to being“in between jobs”, where your relevance is the only currency that matters (Vanity Fair). If you’re not working, you’re not really worth much.
The actor confessed:
As a struggling actor, there’s no harder place to live than being in Hollywood with nothing going on. The currency of that town is how relevant you are and what your last job is.
Pedro Pascal and Ryan Gosling Had the Guts to Do It and Now It’s Tom Cruise’s Disciple Glen Powell Who Couldn’t Care Less About Sexiest Man Alive Title
For many, this kind of pressure is enough to make them throw in the towel. But Powell, despite the doubts and struggles, chose to stay in the game. He said:
Even at the darkest moments in that town, when I really didn’t have anything happening, you sort of have to lie to yourself, at least a little bit.
After years of smaller roles, Powell finally got his big break in 2015 when he joined the cast ofScream Queens. Reflecting on his long journey, he said (viaCollider):
The best part about the slow burn of my career is that I’ve been doing this for 20 years and it’s taken me a long time to just even get here, which for most people, feels like a starting line.
The show helped put him on the map, but it was his role inTop Gun: Maverickin 2022 that really cemented his place in Hollywood’s A-list. What he’s learned over the years is that there’s no shortcut to success—no magic formula. It’s about persistence, taking the small wins when you can get them, and trusting that the hard work will eventually pay off!
Siddhika Prajapati
Senior Journalist & Content Head
Articles Published :3309
With over 3,300 articles carved into the digital walls of FandomWire, Siddhika Prajapati excels at creating, curating, and elevating engaging stories. She takes pride in giving these stories a home and, of course, she’s got a Google Knowledge Panel to prove it!Whether it’s reviewing the latest drop on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+, or analyzing the cultural echoes of a streaming hit on Paramount+ or Max, Siddhika is always writing three steps ahead of the discourse.
