The actor's status has skyrocketed in the last few years, arguably starting in 2022 with his appearance in the long-awaited "Top Gun: Maverick." His supporting role in that movie — and Tom Cruise's sometimes terrifying mentorship — seemed to be what set Powell on the path to leading man.
The latter is getting glowing reviews, but Powell has been around for years and has more than a handful of credits to his name. Here's a rundown of every Glen Powell movie and TV show ranked from worst to best, according to critics.
Note: For the purposes of this list, we're only including projects with a Rotten Tomatoes critic score. The list only includes movies and shows in which Powell has an on-screen role as a named character.
"Misconduct"
Powell in "Misconduct."
Lionsgate
Powell had a supporting role in this forgettable 2016 thriller that flopped at the box office despite having two Oscar winners (Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino) in its ensemble.
Powell with costar Sylvester Stallone in "The Expendables 3."
Lionsgate
Powell went toe-to-toe with action legends like Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren in the third film in "The Expendables" franchise. The 2014 movie wasn't as well-received as the two that came before it.
Powell charmed the pants off of audiences opposite Sydney Sweeney in "Anyone But You," a delightful rom-com that should usher in a renaissance for the genre. Critics, however, were more lukewarm on the movie.
On the heels of that other naval pilot movie he was in, Powell also found time to star in the 2022 biographical war film "Devotion." Based on a true story, Powell played real-life Korean War hero Tom Hudner.
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"
Powell with Lily James in "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society."
Netflix
Powell played the American boyfriend of Lily James' character in this 2018 historical romantic drama, based on Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows' 2008 novel of the same name.
Powell's earlier team-up with Linklater was also a hit with critics. He played Finnegan in the 2016 teen comedy about college baseball players in Texas in the 1980s.
Powell voices Bostick in "Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood."
Netflix
Another team-up with Linklater accounts for one of the best-reviewed movies in Powell's career. He voiced Bostick, a NASA official, in the 2022 animated coming-of-age dramedy loosely based on Linklater's own childhood experience watching the first Moon landing.
Before there was "Anyone But You," there was "Set It Up." The 2018 rom-com starred Powell opposite Zoey Deutch as two bickering assistants with demanding bosses who fall in love.
Powell has a voice role in "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous."
Netflix
Powell voices camp counselor Dave in the animated sci-fi adventure series, Netflix's first TV show set in the "Jurassic Park" universe. It aired from 2020 to 2022.
Powell played the real-life astronaut John Glenn, who became the third American in space, in the 2016 biographical drama inspired by the untold story of the three Black mathematicians who worked at NASA during the space race.
Glen Powell as Lt. Jake "Hangman" Seresin in "Top Gun: Maverick."
Paramount Pictures
Powell played cocky pilot LieutenantJake "Hangman" Seresin in the long-awaited "Top Gun" sequel opposite Tom Cruise's Maverick and Miles Teller's Rooster.
Powell's latest project is also his best-reviewed. He stars as Gary Johnson, a professor who moonlights for the New Orleans Police Department as a fake hitman. The 2023 rom-com was directed by Linklater from a script Powell and Linklater cowrote together, based on a true story.
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