Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell revealed that he was convinced to join the film by Tom Cruise after seeing Mission: Impossible - Fallout. The film, which came out in theaters on May 27 after significant pandemic-related delays, is a decades-later sequel to the 1985 hit Top Gun, which was directed by Tony Scott. The film follows Cruise, reprising his role as the hotshot fighter pilot Maverick, returning to guide a brand new crop of young pilots as they prepare for a major mission. However, complications ensue when he learns that one of the pilots is Rooster Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick's friend Goose, who blames Maverick for his father's death.
One of the most memorable new characters in the film was Hangman, played by Scream Queens and Hidden Figures star Glen Powell. Powell was originally up for the role of Rooster, but when Teller got the part he was offered the new role. Ironically, Hangman and Rooster don't get along, as Hangman is cocky and cavalier and more or less instantly rubs Rooster the wrong way.
For their 200th episode, the Light the Fuse podcast had a massive blowout celebration by gathering a huge slate of interviews about the upcoming Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, including Cruise and McQuarrie. However, the podcast also featured brief appearances by Cruise's Maverick co-stars Powell, Greg Tarzan Davis, and Danny Ramirez. During his interview, Powell revealed that, while he wasn't sure if he was right for the role of Hangman, he received the call about the role right before heading in to see Mission: Impossible - Fallout in theaters. He asked if he could call them back, and, once he did, Cruise convinced him to join the film. Read McQuarrie's explanation below:
Tom said – and [Powell] was being very frank with Tom about not wanting to be in the movie – and Tom said, “Glen, what kind of career do you want?” And Glen said, “I want your career.” And Tom said, “Well how do you think I got here Glen?” And Glen said, “You chose great roles.” And [Tom] said, “No Glen, I chose good movies.”
Powell certainly made the right choice, as Top Gun: Maverick exploded at the box office, quickly becoming the eighth-highest performing domestic film of all time. This was largely on the back of the same ingredients that made Fallout such a success in the first place. Both films were driven by Cruise's love of performing his own stunts as practically as possible, with Maverick following Fallout's example by depicting real-life jet fighter flights rather than CGI planes.
It's a fortuitous coincidence that Powell's casting happened the way it did. If it hadn't been for Fallout, he may have been too nervous about taking a smaller role that he felt might have merely been a consolation prize. Without his performance, the fabric of Top Gun: Maverick would have felt entirely different, and while the film has a lot to recommend itself on top of his performance, it may not have been quite the hit it was without his help raising it up.
Source: Light the Fuse