Glen Powell Opens Up About Avoiding Politics and Blames Paramount Turmoil for ‘The Running Man’ Flop

Glen Powell has spent the past few years becoming one of Hollywood’s busiest leading men. Since breaking out in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, he has moved between blockbusters, romantic comedies and television, including his series ‘Chad Powers’.

That nonstop pace is the focus of his new Esquire cover story, written by Madison Vain under the headline “Glen Powell Conquered Hollywood. Was That What He Actually Wanted?” The profile looks at what has been driving the actor during his rapid rise.

In the interview, Powell explained why he has chosen to stay out of political conversations. He also offered a blunt explanation for why his 2025 action film ‘The Running Man’ struggled at the box office.

Powell traced his approach back to his childhood. He recalled growing up in a household where his parents never discussed current events at the dinner table, something he said he’s grateful for.

Over time, Powell said, he came to believe that politics tends to divide people. He described people arguing just to prove a point as the worst kind of conversation and said he simply doesn’t like the current discourse.

According to Esquire, politics interests him even less now than before. Powell said engaging in it publicly isn’t something he can do at this point. Powell isn’t the first major star to take this position. Dwayne Johnson made similar comments in his own Esquire cover story earlier this year, saying he would no longer speak publicly about politics.

Powell’s comments drew a mixed reaction online. Some commenters criticized his stance, arguing that staying neutral is easier for people who aren’t directly affected by political decisions, while others joked about the timing of his comments.

The interview also covered one of the biggest disappointments of Powell’s career. ‘The Running Man’, directed by Edgar Wright, earned less than $70 million worldwide against a production budget of around $110 million.

Powell argued that the film never had a real chance because of problems at Paramount Pictures. He pointed to the studio’s mass layoffs in late October 2025, saying Paramount let go of an entire marketing department about a month before the film was released, in the middle of a merger.

The first trailer for Edgar Wright’s ‘THE RUNNING MAN’ has been released. The film follows a man who volunteers to join a TV gameshow where he will be hunted by professional killers. In theaters on November 7. https://t.co/E0K7KWfwu3

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 1, 2025

Those cuts hit just weeks before ‘The Running Man’ arrived in theaters. In Powell’s view, losing that support left the film without the push it needed to find an audience. ‘The Running Man’ wasn’t Powell’s only recent disappointment. It was followed by ‘How to Make a Killing’, a dark crime comedy from A24 that also failed to meet commercial expectations.

The back-to-back misses have raised questions about how well Powell’s popularity translates to ticket sales. Still, his profile remains high, and the Esquire story suggests he’s thinking carefully about what kind of career he wants.

Powell’s comments come during another major shift for the studio. Paramount, now part of Skydance, has just completed its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, creating one of the biggest companies in Hollywood.

For actors with films in the pipeline, the shake-up is a reminder of how much corporate turmoil can affect a movie’s release. Powell’s experience with ‘The Running Man’ shows how a studio’s internal decisions can shape a film’s fate.

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