Stephen Colbert embarrasses Glen Powell with an unseen clip from his childhood: "I've never..."
After his breakthrough role in 'Top Gun: Maverick', Glen Powell rightfully earned his status as a Hollywood heartthrob. However, before gaining the ranking of a bankable star, Powell had his fair share of struggles. During an appearance on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', the host surprised Powell with a rare clip from his early acting days. While the footage shows off Powell’s budding talent, the actor couldn't help but cringe at his humble beginnings.
Colbert playfully teased Powell by revealing a rare clip of the actor at 13 years old on the reality series 'Endurance', a Survivor-style kids' show. Alongside the footage, Colbert also shared a mini-biography Powell wrote for himself at the time, as per Men's Journal. While Powell is now known for his action-packed roles in 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'Twisters,' Colbert joked that his early attempt at action wasn't as successful, leaving the actor cringing as the audience enjoyed the lighthearted nostalgia.
For the uninformed, 'Endurance' was a reality competition show similar to 'Fear Factor' and 'Survivor,' where teens were sent to a remote location to compete in physical and mental challenges to stay in the game. The series premiered in 2002 and concluded after six seasons in 2007. Colbert then revealed a throwback photo of 13-year-old Powell from an 'Endurance' confessional, featuring the actor with a spiked hairdo and a beaded surfer necklace, screaming early-2000s style. The reveal visibly surprised Powell, leaving him slightly embarrassed.
Powell shared, "I've never talked about this publicly ever. The fact that [producers] pulled this out is shocking, but here we go." "I was 13," Powell explained and added, "I was on a show called 'Endurance.' This is basically a kid's Survivor-type show. It's a reality show where they throw kids to Mexico, and pit them against each other. The really sad part is I wanted to be on the show really bad, and I got kicked off on the first episode."
As if the throwback photo wasn't enough, Colbert took it a step further by revealing Powell’s self-written biography from 'Endurance'. Powell listened with an uneasy smile, clearly cringing as Colbert read it aloud. "'Glen likes making his own movies and is working to buy a professional video camera by mowing lawns and acting in commercials,'" Colbert read. "'He is a world traveler and is looking forward to going to a new destination and meeting new people on Endurance. He likes to tap dance and sing at nursing homes," the biography further read.
Powell had no choice but to admit, as he said, "Now that is sexy. Well, if falling off the bar wasn't as bad as that, I forgot about the bio." To which Colbert joked, "If the movie star thing doesn't work out, at least you've got a fallback position right there." Powell responded, "You know, I was flying high until just now." Notably, Powell is all set to star in a new adaptation of 'The Running Man,' which was based on Stephen King’s story, as per CBR. The action flick is set to hit theaters this year, where Powell will star in the lead role, taking over from Arnold Schwarzenegger, who played the character in the 1987 film.