Glen Powell didn’t want the glitz and glam that comes with living in Hollywood.
During a recent interview with Vanity Fair for its 2026 Hollywood Issue, the 37-year-old “Twisters” actor spoke about why he chose to leave Los Angeles and move back to his hometown of Austin, Texas, despite his success.
“I needed a spiritual place where I could hang my hat and truly be unplugged,” he said. “If you live in LA … where everyone is sort of a part of this thing, you can’t ever sign off of that app.”
It seems Powell moved from one acting hot spot to another, telling the outlet “there’s so much being shot around Texas now. It’s about to get even more competitive.”
After moving to the Lone Star State, Powell enrolled in classes at the University of Texas at Austin.
“I literally just paid my tuition two days ago for next semester,” he said, adding he is under no illusion this career will last forever.
“Anyone who believes that they’re going to be top dog forever has not studied how Hollywood works,” he said. “So, the best that you can do is really work as hard as you possibly can. Make things that you believe in, treat people well and hope that you leave the world with some classic things that they can continue watching for years to come.”
He previously opened up about his decision to move back to his hometown during a June 2024 interview with USA Today.
At the time, he told the outlet it was always his “goal” to move back home after gaining “enough traction in LA. My parents just turned 70, and you want to enjoy every moment you have near your family.”
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“It’s really fun to be around people that love movies and love the business. However, sometimes that echo chamber can be not so great for you on the mental health level,” he said. “When all you do is consume movies and entertainment, you could become a little self-aware and maybe derivative of yourself. Your personal life, there’s no sort of freedom there. There’s storytelling around that, and I feel like that’s just not good for you on the long term.”
Powell spoke with Vanity Fair in November 2024 about his bumpy start in Hollywood as a “struggling actor,” saying “there’s no harder place to live than being in Hollywood.”
He made his film debut in 2003’s “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over” and later appeared in the 2007 film “The Great Debaters,” starring Denzel Washington. After impressing Washington while on set, the veteran actor introduced him to his agent, Ed Limato, who convinced him to move to Los Angeles.
“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, and act like this is that chapter of the story where things just aren’t going right,” Powell said.
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Looking back, the “Anyone But You” star said he was thankful for that time of his life, saying it gave him “a chance to understand a lot about writing” and to “occupy different types of jobs” that taught him the ins and outs of financing and producing a project.
After getting his big break in the 2022 movie “Top Gun: Maverick,” Powell co-wrote and starred in the 2023 movie, “Hit Man,” which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for lead actor.
He is currently starring in “The Running Man” alongside Coleman Domingo and Josh Brolin.
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