Glen Powell, an actor now synonymous with confident charm and box-office success, recently shared a humbling memory from his earliest days in Hollywood that stands in stark contrast to his current stardom. During an appearance on the popular interview show “Hot Ones,” Powell recounted an intimidating encounter with legendary actor Dustin Hoffman that left him feeling completely defeated but ultimately reshaped his professional perspective.

The story began during what Powell described as his “first week” in Hollywood, a formative period for any aspiring actor. He found himself at a dinner seated next to the two-time Academy Award winner. To Powell’s astonishment, Hoffman had seen his work in the 2007 film “The Great Debaters.” “He saw a movie I did called ‘The Great Debaters,’ and the fact that he saw this movie just blew my mind,” Powell recalled. “I was like ‘This is the coolest moment of my entire life.’” The recognition from an actor of Hoffman’s stature was a monumental validation for the young performer.

Hoffman didn’t just offer a passing compliment; he expressed a genuine interest in collaborating. “I got something for you. Let’s keep in touch,” Hoffman told him. True to his word, the veteran actor followed through. “Literally a couple days later, I got a call at my house from Dustin Hoffman,” Powell shared, conveying the sheer disbelief he felt at the time. “And I’m losing my mind. I’m like ‘This is the coolest thing,’ and [Hoffman’s] like ‘I’m gonna invite you to my office and I want you to read for something.’”

Filled with excitement and anticipation, Powell accepted the invitation and soon found himself in Hoffman’s office, script pages in hand. What should have been a dream opportunity quickly devolved into a nerve-wracking ordeal. The immense pressure of performing opposite one of his heroes proved to be paralyzing. “I started reading them, but I was so in awe that Dustin Hoffman was sitting across from me,” Powell explained. “He’s one of my favorite actors of all time.”

This awe, rather than inspiring him, began to sabotage his performance. Powell described the painful, slow-motion disaster of watching his idol lose interest in real-time. “As I’m reading, I’m watching the life drain from his eyes, being like, ‘This guy sucks so bad.’ And I was like, ‘Oh no,’” he recounted. The internal panic only made the situation worse, creating a feedback loop of anxiety and poor performance. “I’m watching him and I’m losing him,” Powell continued. “And then I’m being like, ‘Yeah, you’re losing him,’ and then I look back and I’m losing him even more. And I left so defeated.”

While the failed reading was a crushing blow at the moment, Powell explained on “Hot Ones” that the experience was ultimately a crucial learning moment. It forced him to re-evaluate his relationship with fame and the larger-than-life figures within his industry. Over time, he learned to shift his mindset from one of hero worship to one of peer collaboration.

“What you start to realize is that all this business is is play,” Powell reflected. “You start looking at these guys as, like, legends, and then you start looking at them as collaborators who are just trying to make magic for audiences around the world, you know?” This change in perspective allowed him to approach future auditions and collaborations with a sense of creative partnership rather than crippling awe. “I think that’s the difference,” he concluded. “I think the excitement of this business hasn’t worn off, but my perspective has.”

This matured viewpoint has certainly served him well. Although a collaboration with Hoffman has yet to materialize, Powell’s career has since skyrocketed. He became a globally recognized star after his memorable role as Hangman in the 2022 blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick,” where he shared the screen with another Hollywood giant, Tom Cruise. He followed this success with the hit romantic comedy “Anyone But You” opposite Sydney Sweeney and the recent summer action film “Twisters.” His career continues its upward trajectory, as he is currently set to star in “The Running Man,” a new adaptation of the Stephen King novel directed by Edgar Wright. The story of his fumbled reading with Hoffman now serves as a powerful anecdote about perseverance and the internal growth required to succeed in a demanding industry.