Glen Powell would be forgiven for staying out of Tom Cruise’s helicopter taxi service anytime soon after the Hit Man star revealed that his Top Gun co-star once pretended to lose control of a helicopter and nosedive towards London… with Powell in the passenger seat.
Glen Powell feels like Hollywood’s man of the moment. The 35-year-old actor has been on a stellar run at the box office, starring alongside Sydney Sweeney in the Shakespeare-inspired romcom Anyone But You set in Sydney, Australia; taking the lead in the modern remake of the cult-classic Twisters movies; and of course, playing the antagonist across in Top Gun: Maverick, a movie that grossed $1.496 billion USD (~$2.25 billion AUD) worldwide and for many, saved cinema.
But it could’ve all gone horribly wrong one day between filming, as Powell’s co-star, the unflappable action star Tom Cruise, decided to play a prank on his Top Gun castmate with a harmless helicopter stunt cruising over Central London.
Tom Cruise’s helicopter prank could’ve gone horribly wrong
Speaking with GQ’s Ben Allen, Powell revealed that the legendary Top Gun actor once offered to take him from Pinewood Studios to London in his helicopter after Top Gun: Maverick reshoots.
As a pilot himself – with some experience behind the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang – Powell would’ve likely jumped at the chance to soar through the skies with Cruise, but quickly realised that his co-star has a very awry sense of humour, befitting a man of Cruise’s renowned reputation.
“Tom goes ‘oh no, oh no,’ and he starts dropping the helicopter over London,” Powell said. “I was like, ‘Am I about to be the unnamed guy that dies with Tom in a smoking hole in the middle of London?’”
Fortunately, the pair returned to earth unscathed and the Top Gun sequel became a resounding global success, catapulting Powell’s next stage of his blossoming career. With a string of high-profile projects lined up, it seems Glen Powell is well on his way to becoming one of the most sought-after leading men in Hollywood… if he can just keep his feet on the ground.