Glen Powell is putting on prosthetics and pads and calling plays in his upcoming role as former college quarterback turned new college quarterback Chad Powers.
The actor sat down with "Good Morning America" co-anchor Michael Strahan on the set of his upcoming Hulu series "Chad Powers" to discuss filming, working with the Manning brothers and his love of football, in an interview airing Thursday.
Powell, who created the series with screenwriter and producer Michael Waldron, told Strahan the idea for the show emerged from a sketch retired New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning performed in 2022, in which he went undercover as an aspiring walk-on quarterback at Penn State.
"We took that concept and that inspiration and have doubled down on the prosthetics, updated it, improved it, new model, new Chad, and we're making a hell of a show here," Powell said. Eli Manning and his brother Peyton Manning, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, will serve as executive producers on the show. "One of the coolest things about the Manning boys is that they are extremely involved," Powell said of working with the legendary quarterback siblings. "What makes this show different is we wanted this thing to be funny and heartfelt but to have the football be legit." Strahan, a former defensive end who was teammates with Eli Manning on the New York Giants, then joked with Powell about one way to make the football in the series "legit.""The only thing that can stop a great quarterback is a great pass rusher. So, if you need someone to show you how to hit somebody or take a hit..." Strahan said, joking with Powell about an offer to help out on set.
"If I have to take a hit on the show, I am not calling you. I do not want to take that hit," Powell replied, laughing.
Powell and Strahan also took a tour of the show's set at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where the actor walked through his makeup routine prior to shooting.
"It takes about just under an hour to transform him into Chad Powers," a makeup artist on set explained.
"There's a forehead piece, a cheek piece, a nose piece, an upper lip, there's teeth," Powell said.
Powell said he spends most of the time on set with his costume face on. "I thought this was going to be a painful process, but sometimes I forget which face I'm wearing," he said.
The actor said the makeup and costume design involved is actually a tribute itself to the series' main character.
"The character I play, his dad was in Hollywood makeup and prosthetics. So we're really honoring that world in terms of how he would actually pull this off," he said.
Powell, who co-wrote the series' pilot episode, said the show is a product of his own passion for college football.
"I've been born and raised on college football. My dad was Ohio State, you know, he's a big Buckeye fan, and everybody around the house just, like, that's when we rally up. It's Saturdays, not Sundays."
Despite his love of the game, Powell joked with Strahan that he would probably pass up the chance to play professionally.
"What if you got a call from a NFL team for a tryout? Would you take it?" Strahan asked after checking out Powell's passing game.
"No, I'll probably send it to a voicemail," he joked.
"Chad Powers" premieres on Hulu on Sept. 30.
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