The charm of actor Glen Powell is utterly undeniable.
It’s one of the qualities — along with quick wit and undeniable good looks — that makes him the perfect lead in a romantic comedy. Although Set It Up wasn’t Powell’s first major role, he burst onto the scene in the 2018 Netflix romcom that paired him with the delightful Zoey Deutch as the duo attempted to set up their bosses.
Now, Powell is back in the romcom world, this time across from Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, White Lotus) in Anyone But You, which hits theaters on December 22. The genre is clearly special to Powell, who genuinely lights up to talk about his experience with romcoms.
“It’s a dream, you know,” the Texas native told For The Win in a recent interview. “You understand why [Matthew] McConaughey did so many romcoms because you’re in a very happy place when you’re making a romcom. It’s just really wonderful.”
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As an actor, Powell — who pulled Gs and got airsick for his role as Hangman in 2022’s mega-hit Top Gun: Maverick — knows very well that it’s not always fun and romance and laughs on set.
“When you really talk about the job of an actor, there’s a lot of different ways to go to set every day,” Powell said. “Sometimes you have to channel some pretty dark things and you have to live in weird places. Mentally, and then also physically, you’re away from your friends and your family.”
This time around, Powell was able to bring some of his family down to Australia during filming to hang out, meet costars like Sweeney and thoroughly enjoy the whole process.
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Dermot Mulroney, who played the lead in the iconic My Best Friend’s Wedding with Julia Roberts in 1997, stars with Powell and Sweeney and served as a romcom mentor. Mulroney didn’t always love the genre, however. “Well, I do [like them] more than I used to,” the The Wedding Date star said in a 2019 Glamour interview. “I have a lot more respect for them than I probably should have at earlier phases of my career.”
That led to some key advice for the younger romcom riser.
“He told me, ‘Don’t shrug off being a romantic comedy lead,'” Powell articulated. “He’s like, ‘If you can represent love to people, it’s the greatest thing in the world.'”
Anyone But You is in theaters this Friday.