Glen Powell wasn't sold on the role of Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick—until Tom Cruise helped push him
Glen Powell initially did not want to play the “Navy Draco Malfoy” in the Top Gun sequel
Glen Powell’s star has slowly been on the rise over the last decade, working on films such as Dark Knight Rises, Set It Up, Hidden Figures, and Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood. However, with his casting in Top Gun: Maverick, Powell has been launched into the stratosphere, gaining entrance into the big leagues.
But Powell almost turned down the opportunity that turned him into a supernova this year. In an interview with GQ, the actor shares he initially was going to pass on the offered role of Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin, as he was reluctant to take on a character he described as “dick garnish” and “Navy Draco Malfoy.” He had originally gone into the auditions with his sights set on Rooster, who would be played by Miles Teller.
“[Hangman] was there to add conflict to Rooster’s character, which is a good thing, but he wasn’t three-dimensional and he had no pay off,” Powell says. “I didn’t know why he existed.”