‘The Dark Night Rises’: The movie that gave Glen Powell an out-of-body experience
At times, creative geniuses can be downright unpleasant to be around. In Hollywood, this behaviour is often accepted as a necessary side effect of their brilliance—an inconvenience endured for the sake of their extraordinary work. However, Christopher Nolan is a rare exception, consistently defying this expectation with his reputation for professionalism and collaboration.
Many actors have cited Nolan as their favourite director to work with, praising his meticulous attention to detail while highlighting his patience and understanding on set. Regardless of one’s opinion on his filmography, it’s clear he is regarded as a pleasure to collaborate with. For many performers, working with Nolan has become a coveted milestone—comparable to working with Stanley Kubrick in his era. For Glen Powell, this dream was realised early in his career.
After a rocky start to his acting career, which was kicked off with a role in Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, Powell was encouraged to make the movie to LA by Denzel Washington and agent Ed Limato. However, once in the city, Powell still struggled to get his career off the ground, featuring mostly in TV shows like NCIS and CSI. In recent years, though, he’s managed to break through with a role in Top Gun: Maverick and Richard Linklater’s Hit Man.
But still, it seems to be his minor role in Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises that had the biggest impact on him. Despite playing the role of ‘Stock Trader #1’, Powell needed to audition several times for Nolan, which is unsurprising given the auteur’s attention to detail.
“Even though it was a small role, I auditioned several times for it,” Powell explained. “I was getting to work with the greatest director on the planet, Christopher Nolan. And you’re sitting there, and all of a sudden, Tom Hardy walks in as Bane. It’s electric. It’s sort of out-of-body.”
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Powell explained that the role came at the perfect time in his career, “That was one of those movies when nothing was going on in my life. I was just fighting for every inch.”
However minimal it might have seemed at the time, working with the director in even the most minor role helped to buoy him. Powell explained: “When Christopher Nolan casts you in a movie, it’s a validation that’s hard to explain.” It’s not surprising that an actor struggling to break into the business would remain inspired by being on a ‘real’ Hollywood set, especially one with the prestige of a Nolan set with the addition of huge actors.
Now, 12 years on, Powell is not only on first name, but nickname basis with the great auteur, “I’ve talked to Chris about this. We’ve run into each other at different things. I saw him during, and he’s very proud that he plucked me early. I’m just very grateful that he took a shot.”
Powell has certainly managed to break into the Hollywood world of filmmaking, and while his part in Nolan’s Batman film was small, it’s one of the reasons the actor has managed to keep going.
