Glen Powell, the Hollywood star known for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, made a big lifestyle change for his new gig: he ditched alcohol completely. The 36-year-old actor went sober while filming the upcoming streaming comedy series Chad Powers to nail his quirky character.
In the show, Powell plays Russ Holliday, a washed-up college football quarterback desperate for a comeback. To pull it off, Holliday goes undercover as the goofy alter ego Chad Powers, complete with a shaggy wig, buck teeth, and a mustache. Powell opened up about the challenges in a chat with People magazine, explaining how staying dry was key to keeping his prosthetics on during shoots.
"What was probably helpful to my diet is that I can’t drink alcohol when I’m wearing that mask because the face will fall off," Powell said. "So I’ll sweat out the alcohol. My face will fall off. So I had to give up alcohol." Turns out, skipping booze helped him stay in top shape for the real-deal football action—no faking it here.
The series features legit on-field scenes where Powell squared off against actual pro football players. "All the football is legitimate," he told People. "I’m facing off. I’m squaring up with guys who played pro ball. I mean, these are real." He even shared a wild moment from set: getting charged by a towering 6-foot-7, 350-pound lineman.
"I was like, that is the biggest thing that’s ever run at me at this speed," Powell recalled. "And so you get to start learning how to be pretty fast, and you definitely burn some calories that way. But it was all practical football; I wasn’t hitting the gym or anything." Filming those intense plays kept him fit without extra workouts—talk about a workout in disguise!
Shooting in Atlanta’s sweltering heat added another layer of hassle, especially for a self-proclaimed "sweater" like Powell. The prosthetics were top-notch, but laughing on camera made things tricky. "I’m a sweater," he said. "And especially when I laugh, my face sweats a lot. And that’s not good for a mask. And especially when you’re laughing in Atlanta heat all the time. I was always worried about my face falling off, but these guys made it great. Again, we have the best of the best in these prosthetics."
Fans of college football comedies and Powell’s charismatic style will love how Chad Powers blends humor with high-stakes sports drama. Keep an eye out for the series—it’s set to tackle streaming screens soon.
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