Glen Powell has explained why he avoids speaking about political issues, telling an interviewer he doesn’t believe discourse is as “healthy as it once was.”
The 37-year-old actor has become one of Hollywood’s go-to leading men in recent years. A breakout performance in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick lead to a string of starring roles in films including 2023’s Hit Man, 2024’s Twisters, 2025’s Running Man and 2026’s How To Make A Killing.
However, even as his fame has grown Powell has consistently declined to take a political stance.
In a new interview with Esquire, the star said he was brought up in a house where current affairs were not discussed at the dinner table, adding: “Thank God.”
He went on to say: “Over time, I realized that politics divide people. People trying to prove their point — for me, it’s the worst version of a conversation. I genuinely do not like the discourse. It’s not as healthy as it once was.”
He describes engaging in politics as “not presently possible”, adding: “I applaud people for jumping into those things and fighting for what they believe in. If I were a political person, I would be talking about it. For me, my calling is elsewhere.”
Powell previously weighed in to defend his Anyone But You co-star Sydney Sweeney, who has been criticized for her perceived promotion of conservative views.
Last year, Sweeney’s adverts for American Eagle jeans sparked controversy. Titled “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” the ads featuring the Euphoria star in the brand’s denim were widely criticized, with people comparing the phrase to the racist language of eugenicists due to wordplay on “jeans” and “genes.”
Speaking after the furor, Powell told The Guardian that “people are aware that it’s bulls***.”
In an apparent jab at the media firestorm surrounding the controversy, he continued: “Look, in an era in which businesses are evolving and are seeing their mortality in front of them, sometimes they are desperate to make anything run. Whether it’s true or not, whether it hurts anyone – there is no accountability any more.”
Asked if he tries to avoid public discourse because it may distract from his work, Powell responded: “You can’t get caught up in it — it has nothing to do with you, it has to do with ad dollars. And, you know, there is no course-correcting. If something’s false, you’re not actually setting the record straight, you’re just feeding the beast.
“That’s why I don’t say s*** — just let it come, and let it go. Not feeding the beast and not trying to fight anything. I’ve realized the smart people in Hollywood don’t try to fight anything that has nothing to do with them.”
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