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For decades, Denzel Washington has been one of the world’s biggest movie stars. That’s why when a teenage Glen Powell worked with him on 2007’s The Great Debaters, it was a dream come true. Powell only had a small role in the film, but Washington still ended up hugely influencing his acting trajectory. The Oscar winner even joked that he made Powell’s career, considering the actor is now a bonafide movie star. This may not have been too much of an exaggeration, as Powell revealed the spot-on advice Washington once gave him.
The Twisters actor recently appeared on the Box Angeles podcast, where he opened up about getting his start in acting as a teen and what he learned during his early years as an actor. It became apparent that working with Denzel Washington (who also directed The Great Debaters) was a huge touchstone for the now-36-year-old. One piece of advice that Washington gave Powell emphasized the importance of focusing on his own journey rather than others:
Here’s the problem. It’s that you start sizing up people, you start sizing up people, I think you will start, even on accident, competing against them. Or trying to highlight attributes that they don’t have. …Denzel told me; he goes, ‘Never look in the other lanes.’ Right? You’re running your own race. Right? And I think it’s the truest piece of advice I’ve ever gotten.
Focusing on his own professional trajectory and continuing to work hard ended up leading Glen Powell to where he is today, so this was clearly sound advice. The actor has even said that he continues to model himself after Denzel Washington in the way he manages his career, so the Equalizer star’s claim over his movie stardom may not be too crazy. Clearly, the legendary actor gives great advice and encouraging Powell to ignore the urge to compare himself to others is a great sentiment for all young actors just starting out.
It also seems like the A-lister took a lot more from his former co-star than just advice. His method of choosing projects feels relatively similar to how Denzel Washington has approached the business. They have both chosen a mix of big blockbuster films and smaller, character-driven films, and they’ve both been driven by the desire to work with talented, auteur filmmakers. They have also both delved into different aspects of the creative process, with Washington directing movies like Fences and A Journal for Jordan, and Powell co-writing Hit Man with Richard Linklater.
Quite frankly, I love the fact that the two aforementioned actors are now linked in this way. Honestly, it’s enough to make me want to see the two join forces for a film. Whether not that happens remains to be seen, but I’d hope it would happen before Mr. Washington retires. In the meantime, though, fans may want to take a page out of the Devotion star’s page and heed any sage wisdom they hear from Washington.
You can see Glen Powell in one his buzziest movies this year, Hit Man, which is currently streaming with a Netflix subscription. You can also check out Denzel Washington in the upcoming blockbuster Gladiator II, which is set to hit theaters on November 22 as part of the 2024 movie release schedule.