Exclusive: Glen Powell Talks Chad Powers, Being Coached By Peyton and Eli Manning

Glen Powell is taking on a unique role in the new Hulu TV series, Chad Powers. 

The 36-year-old actor is playing the role of Russ Holiday/Chad Powers, an arrogant star college football quarterback whose career becomes disgraced in the championship game. Holliday then re-invents himself by disguising himself as Powers — with the help of prosthetics and a wig — to disguise his identity in order to join the football team at a small school in order to restart his career.

The role is influenced by the same character that New York Giants great Eli Manning played from an Omaha Productions skit a few years prior. Manning is a co-executive producer on the show along with Peyton Manning and Powell.

Powell says that while he played quarterback in high school, he details that he had to go through football training camp to play this role. Both Mannings — Eli and Peyton — dissected his workouts on the field as he prepared to play the Powers character.

“I played football in high school, but to be a top-tier, five-star, national-championship-level quarterback, that requires a very specific skill-set,” Powell told The Escapist in an exclusive interview. “I haven’t done this since high school. I was like, ‘I gotta dial this thing in.’ I studied with this guy, Nick, who is Patrick Mahomes’ coach, and then every time I had a session, he and Pat O’Hara, who was the quarterbacks coach for the Titans, they would be coaching me.”

Powell: “I Got the Game Day Treatment’ From Peyton and Eli

Powell — who is close to both Peyton and Eli — detailed how both quarterback greats helped him develop on the field. 

“All the footage would go straight to Peyton and Eli, and they would give me the Xs and Os treatment,” Powell said. “I got the game day treatment, where they were circling things and saying, ‘Hey, your hands are in the wrong place here. I need you to look at the safety here. You’ve got to be reading the defense better. You got to be locked in here. Your follow through is not right.’ It was all these things. I was getting coaching from the best quarterback in the world. It was really unbelievable. It was a pretty extraordinary thing.”

“Skills are always an interesting part of acting,” Powell said. “When you really have to get something dialed in — and this is a fun thing for every guy who’s ever wanted to do this — getting your throw dialed in from the best in the world is pretty cool.”

Powell wears many hats on this show that’s not just limited to being a co-executive producer and actor. He’s also a co-creator along with Michael Waldron. 

Powell: “I Was Scared’ to Look Inauthentic

The Austin, Texas native — Powell is a big Texas Longhorns fan and is close to Arch Manning — details the process of developing into a quarterback and says that he was “scared” because he wanted his throws to look like an actual quarterback.

“I was out there every day, and I was scared,” Powell said. “On Saturday mornings, Sunday mornings, everybody is watching football. You know what a good throw looks like, and you know what a bad throw looks like. I would say very few actors pull off a throw well. We’re all aware of it, and the first (reaction) from me, it throws off authenticity. That’s the last thing I wanted to do — I wanted to make sure this show felt super authentic.”

Powell says he worked on his footwork and how he moved around the offensive line. Long story short, it was all about making the Chad Powers show look as authentic as possible. 

“The first thing I needed to do is my footwork, how I’m moving around the line, how authentic I can make this thing look in the shortest amount of time,” Powell said. “It’s  a lot of pressure, but it’s important. It’s important to make sure the show feels like the real deal to people. Because if you get dialed into the authenticity, it’s not a show. 

“When you look at a comedy, you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s just a comedy. Who cares?’ But for me, I care. If I’m watching a show, you want to go, ‘The football’s legit. It’s really funny. The drama is great. It’s well written.’ I want a show to work on every level, and I’m proud. When you see this show, you’re going to be like, ‘Wow, that show’s the full meal. It’s great.'”

Powell: Like How I Proved Hollywood Wrong, Arch Manning Can Still Flourish

The Longhorns fan attended the University of Texas at Austin. He left without completing his degree in communications, but he’s looking to finish up his studies in 2027. 

Arch Manning — the Longhorns’ current starting quarterback — has gone through some criticism in his first season as the starter. The 21-year-old quarterback has nine touchdowns against three interceptions this season, but lost in a highly-hyped season opener against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The junior quarterback has since bounced back to win three straight games, but they’ve been against the likes of lower-tier opponents in San Jose State, UTEP and Sam Houston. 

He’ll face his first big test since the season opener when he plays the No. 9-ranked Florida Gators in Gainesville this weekend.

“Every team has to navigate a season in a different way,” Powell said. “I always laugh. When I’m in this town — in Hollywood — no one knows what they’re talking about. At the end of the day, I have a long career. 

“People think they know where it’s going and they know what you’re doing. A season is really long and it goes through all different ups and downs. I really believe in Coach Steve Sarkisian, I believe in Arch Manning. I believe in the multifaceted nature of this team and where it can go. I’m super excited to go support him down in Austin and looking forward to supporting the season.”

Powell says him and Manning are friends, and he loves both Peyton and Eli, who helped put together the Chad Powers show. 

“Arch and I are pals,” Powell said. “He’s a hell of a guy. And, obviously, I love both of his uncles.”