Starring in and co-creating “Chad Powers,” Glen Powell shared insight into the making of the six-part original series on Hulu, during a Q&A in the Hogg Memorial Auditorium on Thursday night.
Opening under stadium lights of the Rose Bowl Stadium, the football comedy centers around Russ Holliday, an egotistical college quarterback who gets into a physical altercation, ruining his career. After the scandal, Holliday goes undercover as “Chad Powers” in an attempt to return to football.
The original Chad Powers comes from a segment in “Eli’s Places,” an ESPN+ show, in which Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl winner, puts on prosthetics and goes undercover trying out for the Penn State Football Team. Inspired by Manning’s portrayal, Powell crafted a character with a tarnished reputation searching for a comeback.
“It wasn’t just a guy doing a silly little voice,” Powell said. “It was about a guy who was getting to turn back the clock and do the thing, do it right this time around. … This is a show that, as you guys watch more and more episodes, the heart really reveals itself.”
To pass as a quarterback, Powell sent videos of himself practicing to Executive Producers Eli and Peyton Manning, who then critiqued his moves.
“Eli was my quarterback coach,” Powell said.” “I’m not a quarterback, and I did my best … hopefully we pulled it off.”
In addition to his show, Powell discussed his time at Moody College and his decision to pursue acting full-time after participating in the UTLA Program. Powell said that he faced discouragement and fears from others in the industry but decided to pursue his dreams anyway.
“It’s really important to go on your own ride, go on your own journey,” Powell said. “If you let other people’s ghost stories or their journeys affect the way you orient yours, you’ll never do anything.”
Powell also addressed his decision to return to college, which he announced back in July 2024.
“For me, what college represents is looking up and out, looking at possibility and realizing that there are so many different versions that are existing in you right now,” Powell said. “You don’t know where it’s going to take you, but that feeling of possibility is such a beautiful thing.”
