Hollywood isn't for the faint of hearts. It takes a long time to make your big break if you don't already have your fair share of connections. Even then, it's not guaranteed that you'll stick on a project. There's an abundance of variables that hold people down. That's before you even get to the point of actually being good at the craft. For Glen Powell, it took over a decade of fumbling around to finally reach superstardom. Along the way, it came with some brutal hiccups.
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Recently, Powell spoke with Vanity Fair for their 2025 Hollywood issue. There, he candidly admits how living in southern California can ravage the mind when you're scrapping along to finally break through. "As a struggling actor, there's no harder place to live than being in Hollywood with nothing going on," Glen says. "The currency of that town is how relevant you are and what your last job is. It makes you oppressively self-aware."
Glen Powell Says You Have to Lie to Yourself to Keep Going During 'Darkest Moments'
Additionally, the Top Gun: Maverick actor explains how a little bit of delusion is actually key in surviving mentally. "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," Glen continues. "You have to believe in the Hollywood legends of those people that you admire, the people that you're chasing, that had those long stretches of famine as well."
Lastly, the things you might expect to be a headache in Hollywood are secretly the most reaffirming. Rather, the real grind is in the networking you have to do. "People are like, 'Oh man, auditioning must be tough.' And I'm like, 'No, auditioning is a luxury.' Finding an agent, finding anybody to talk to you at a damn party, having enough money to pay for headshots, these are the things that no one talks about," Glen reveals. "Auditioning feels like you're at the party. You've gotten past the velvet rope. You may not be able to afford a drink at the party, but you're in it, you can taste it. But so often in Hollywood, most of the time you are outside that velvet rope. Most of the time the bouncer is not even allowing you anywhere in the vicinity."
