Glen Powell Remembers Bill Paxton to Celebrate ‘Twisters’ Release

It turns out that Glen Powell has deeper ties to the “Twister” franchise than you might think. Before bursting onto the scene with supporting roles in films like “Everybody Wants Some!!” and “Hidden Figures,” Powell starred in a 2013 independent romantic western called “Red Wing” with fellow Texan and original “Twister” main character Bill Paxton. The two bonded while filming the movie, with Paxton’s character serving as a mentor of sorts to Powell’s, and the relationship continued in real life.

In a recent interview on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” speaking about working with Paxton, Powell said, “I did this movie called ‘Red Wing’ many years ago, and Bill and I became very close on that movie.”

Powell also shared with Colbert the impact the first “Twister” had on him growing up in Texas. Speaking to the late-night talk show host, he said, “I think I saw the first ‘Twister’ when I was probably 10 years old. I grew up in Austin, Texas, so tornado alley was part of it. And I feel like ‘Twister’ was always a movie that seemed like it was meant for Texans or people from Oklahoma or Kansas, but then when you travel the world, you realize it was a huge movie. The opposition between humans and nature is a very universal thing.”

Not only did Paxton share his passion for weather with Powell on the set of “Red Wing,” but when the “Apollo 13” actor found out Powell would be playing John Glenn in “Hidden Figures,” he also offered his young co-star all of his space research, as well as an acting tip that Powell still carries with him today.

“As an actor, sometimes you have to shoot outdoors and you squint, and he taught me a trick: if you close your eyes and look at the sun, it warms your eyes and you can open them. So when I was shooting Twisters, I was shooting outdoors all the time, so I’ve used that trick throughout my career since I met Bill. And on Twisters, I really felt like every time I closed my eyes, I was thinking of Bill, which was great.”

Paxton died in 2017 after open-heart surgery. To honor his legacy and celebrate the release of “Twisters,” Powell shared a photo of himself with Paxton on the set of “Red Wing” on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a caption that read, “As we release ‘Twisters’ into the world today, I just wanted to look up and tip my hat to the legend that is Bill Paxton. A great friend of mine who saw poetry in the natural world. His boots are impossible to replace, but this life is about chasing the greats.”