Glen Powell says Matthew McConaughey inspired him to leave 'Matrix'-like Hollywood for Texas: 'Fake world'
Glen Powell opened up about why he decided to leave Hollywood and move back to his home state of Texas.
After living in Los Angeles for over 15 years, the 35-year-old actor told The Hollywood Reporter that he recently relocated to Austin, where he can be closer to his family and finish his degree at the University of Texas.
While speaking with the outlet, Powell said he was inspired to make a permanent move back to the Lone Star State on the advice of fellow Texan Matthew McConaughey.
"He’s like, ‘Hollywood is the Matrix, man. You plug in and it’s all fake world,’" the "Top Gun: Maverick" star recalled McConaughey telling him.
Powell continued, "He’s like, ‘Then I go to Austin, and I unplug. It’s all real. Those are my friends, that’s my family, my actions matter there.’ And he’s right."
"If you’re here, you live in the Matrix all the time, there’s no separation of those worlds," he said of Hollywood.
"And for me, especially as my parents get older and my niece and nephew are growing up, I want a separation of those worlds."
McConaughey, who hails from Uvalde, Texas, left Malibu for Austin with his wife Camila Alves and their three children in 2014.
Powell, who is originally from Austin, moved to LA to pursue his dreams of an acting career. After making his film debut in 2003's "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over," Powell was in his senior year of high school when he landed a role in Denzel Washington's 2007 movie "The Great Debaters."
After being impressed by Powell's talent, Washington introduced the actor to his agent Ed Limato. Powell told The Hollywood Reporter that he was in his freshman year at the University of Texas at Austin when Limato called and asked if he was attending "The Great Debaters" premiere in LA.
Powell recalled that he met with Washington and Limato, who signed him as a client, and he decided to move to Hollywood after his first year of college.
However, Powell said that he struggled for years before he began to regularly land acting gigs. He won his first role as a leading man in the 2018 Netflix romantic comedy "Set It Up" opposite Zoey Deutch. After "Set It Up" became an unexpected hit, Powell said that studios began to take notice of him.
Powell was invited to audition for the part of LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw's son Rooster in "Top Gun: Maverick," but Miles Teller was cast in the role instead. Powell recalled that losing the part was a "big blow" to him as he had really wanted to play Goose.
However, "Top Gun: Maverick" star and executive producer Tom Cruise urged Powell to take on the role of Lt. Jake 'Hangman' Seresin. Powell said that Cruise became his mentor while they were working together on the blockbuster sequel.
Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Top Gun: Maverick" wasn't released until two years after production wrapped. During that time, Powell told The Hollywood Reporter that he almost went broke.
"I’d never made any significant amount of money on a movie, including, and I was depleting a bank account to a point where my accountant was like, ‘This pandemic cannot last much longer,’" Powell said. "But Tom was already Tom; I was waiting for my life to change."
Released in May 2022, "Top Gun: Maverick" became a mega-hit at the box office. Powell reached a new height in his career with the surprise success of his next project, the 2023 Netflix romantic comedy "Anyone But You," in which he starred opposite Sydney Sweeney.
However, Powell admitted that he was uncomfortable with some aspects of his newfound fame and began to get a "fishbowl feeling" from his life in LA.
"The thing that makes me feel in conflict with some parts of this moment is that I like choosing when I’m out in front. And I’m more than happy to be on a press tour. I love it. I love going on a Jimmy Fallon — you walk out, you sign autographs, you do the whole thing," he said.
But Powell said that he was uneasy with "this idea that you’re a function" in Hollywood.
"Someone will go, ‘Hey, friend, want to come to this guy’s house? Yeah, come over.’ And then you show up, and suddenly you’re there for, like, someone’s tequila launch and all of a sudden there’s a photographer and you’re like, ‘Wait, what are we doing here?,'" he said.
"And I think you get enough of those that you just want to bring your family as close as possible — or run to them," Powell added.
Powell's parents, Glen Sr. and Cyndy Powell, also share daughters Lauren and Leslie, who were raised in Austin alongside the actor. Glen, Cyndy and Lauren, who is mother to fraternal twins Witt and Gwen, still live in Austin, while Leslie is pursing a singing career in LA. Powell has previously shared that his family often visits him on set, and Glen Sr. and Cyndy have had cameo roles in almost all of his movies.
Glen Sr. and Cyndy recently trolled their son with humorous cardboard signs on the red carpet at the Austin premiere of "Hit Man," the action comedy that Powell starred in and produced. Powell was also inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame during the event last week.
After achieving his career success, Powell told The Hollywood Reporter that he feels that the real reward is "getting to this point in Hollywood is that I can now leave Hollywood."
"It’s like I’ve earned the ability to go back to my family," he added.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Powell said that his new home in Austin is half an hour away from Glen Sr. and Cyndy's house.
"I think this is going to be good for my head, heart and soul," the actor said of the move.
Though Powell hoped his graduation from UT would coincide with the "Hit Man" premiere and his induction into the Texas Film Hall of Fame, he said that his plans were pushed back due to his busy schedule. Powell said that he must complete two courses before he can get his degree, which he intends to accomplish by next year.
When asked why he is still set on graduating from college after the success that he has achieved, Powell said, "I think it’s really important to my mom and it’s more of an emotional thing for me."
"Plus, I’m so close, I can taste it," he added.
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