Glen Powell opens up about his awkward audition for Dustin Hoffman

Glen Powell is now rising toward real movie stardom, following in the footsteps of his mentor Tom Cruise. However, his early days in Hollywood were far less glamorous.

The Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters actor has often spoken about his struggles breaking into the industry and one unforgettable experience was a failed audition in front of two-time Academy Award winner, Dustin Hoffman.

During a recent stop on his press tour for The Running Man, Powell told Hot Ones host Sean Evans about the moment that shattered his expectations of Hollywood as a 19-year-old newcomer.

He recalled meeting Hoffman at a dinner during his first week in Los Angeles and was thrilled to discover that the legendary actor had seen him in The Great Debaters.

“The fact that he saw this movie just blew my mind,” Powell said, adding, “I was like, ‘This is the coolest moment of my entire life.’ He said, ‘You’re a good actor.’ I was like ‘Oh, dude, thank you.’ He goes, ‘I got something, I got something for you. Let’s keep in touch.'”

Just days later, Hoffman invited him to his office to read for a role. But the audition unravelled quickly.

“I started reading [the pages], but I was so in awe that Dustin Hoffman was sitting across from me… As I’m reading, I’m watching the life drain from his eyes being like, ‘This guy sucks so bad.’ And I was like, ‘Oh no,’” Powell admitted.

Laughing, the Hit Man star added, “I’m watching him, I’m losing him… And I left so defeated.”

Now, hosting Saturday Night Live for the first time, the 37-year-old actor says he ultimately gained something crucial from that moment.

“What you start to realise is that all this business is play… collaborators who are just trying to make magic for audiences around the world,” said Glen Powell.