Before there were tons of Glen Powell movies leading the actor like Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone But You and Twisters, one of the actor’s first experiences on a major movie was in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. If you’re a fan of him, chances are you known that Powell played the very small role of “Trader #1” (who gets his head smashed in by Tom Hardy’s Bane), but Powell recently shared that he has since had the chance to talk to Christopher Nolan, and it sounds like such a sweet exchange.
It was over a decade ago when Glen Powell had an early taste of being on a big blockbuster (years after his first role in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, of course) with The Dark Knight Rises. Check out what he had to say about the role:
I remember everything. You never forget the feeling. It’s something I carry to every set I walk on now, which is just the reverence for being on a set in general. But I remember on Dark Knight Rises the feeling of being able to walk onto a set and you knew everybody in the world wanted to be on that set, right? Even though it was a small role, I auditioned several times for it. I was getting to work with the greatest director on the planet, Christopher Nolan. And you’re sitting there and all of a sudden Tom Hardy walks in as Bane. It’s electric. It’s sort of out-of-body. That was one of those movies when nothing was going on in my life. I was just fighting for every inch. And when Christopher Nolan casts you in his movie, it’s a validation that’s hard to explain.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Powell recalled his memories of the Christopher Nolan movie that remain crystal clear in his memories. As the actor shared, a lot of work went into nabbing the small role in a massive movie. At the time, it was a huge deal for him, and gave him a certain kind of “validation” in his profession. Powell continued by sharing that since his viral fame, he’s actually run into Christopher Nolan, saying this:
And I’ve talked to Chris about this. We’ve run into each other at different things. I saw him during his amazing Oppenheimer run, and he’s very proud that he plucked me early. I’m just very grateful that he took a shot.
Following Glen Powell’s role in one of the Batman movies, it wasn’t a linear journey to fame for him. He’d find some cool roles in movies like 2014’s The Expendables 3 and being in Hidden Figures, but it was within the past few years that he’s become a household name. There’s even been support thrown in for him being in one of the upcoming Batman movies himself. As he said, last year, while Nolan was going to a lot of events for Best Picture winner Oppenheimer, Powell ran into the filmmaker and they had a lovely exchange.
I love that Nolan remembered him, and said he was “proud” of Powell and how he found him before he was such a big star. Perhaps, Powell can find a role in Christopher Nolan’s next movie starring Matt Damon and Tom Holland? Either way, it’s great to hear that the two have connected since The Dark Knight Rises ending concluded Nolan’s Batman trilogy.