Glen Powell has admitted he almost went broke before he starred in Top Gun: Maverick.
The actor played Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin in the blockbuster movie, which was delayed for over two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The film was set for release in 2019, but didn’t hit cinemas until May 2022.
During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Glen explained how the movie’s delay impacted his financial situation.
“I’d never made any significant amount of money on a movie, including ‘Top Gun,'” he said.
“I was depleting a bank account to a point where my accountant was like, ‘This pandemic cannot last much longer.'”
While the movie could have been released on a streaming service during the pandemic, the film’s lead Tom Cruise reportedly refused and wanted to wait to release it in cinemas.
Referencing this decision, Glen added: “Tom was already Tom; I was waiting for my life to change.”
The movie ended up grossing $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2022.
Since his breakout role in Top Gun: Maverick, the actor’s profile has risen even further thanks to his starring role in the romcom Anyone But You – in which he was cast opposite Sydney Sweeney.
The pair grew close while filming the blockbuster hit in Australia, and some fans thought that there was off-screen chemistry between the actors.
Fuelling rumours of an affair between them, Glen split from his girlfriend of three years Gigi Paris, and she dramatically unfollowed the pair on Instagram.
Despite the romance speculation, Glen, 35, and Sydney, 26, have insisted they’re just friends.
During an interview with The New York Times earlier this year, the actor confessed they played into the rumours in order to promote the film.
Glen explained: “The two things that you have to sell a rom-com are fun and chemistry.”
“Sydney and I have a ton of fun together, and we have a ton of effortless chemistry. That’s people wanting what’s on the screen off the screen, and sometimes you just have to lean into it a bit – and it worked wonderfully. Sydney is very smart.”
The American actress was an executive producer on Anyone But You, and revealed she “was on every call” that involved promoting the movie.
“I was in text group chats. I was probably keeping everybody over at Sony marketing and distribution awake at night because I couldn’t stop with ideas,” she told the outlet.
“I wanted to make sure that we were actively having a conversation with the audience as we were promoting this film, because at the end of the day, they’re the ones who created the entire narrative.”
Sydney is engaged to Chicago businessman Jonathan Davino, who is more than 10 years older than her.
Last August, Sydney revealed she and Glen were both fully aware of the assumptions people would make due to the genre of movie they were making.
Chatting to Variety, the Euphoria star said: “It’s a rom-com. That’s what people want! Glen and I don’t really care. We have so much fun together, and we respect each other so much.”
“He’s such a hard worker, and I’m a hard worker. We talk all the time like, ‘That’s really funny’.”
