Before Glen Powell started to become one of Hollywood’s most prominent movie stars of the 2020s, he appeared in a satirical horror series alongside a slew of other notable rising stars of the time. Powell was one of the leads in Fox’s “Scream Queens,” which was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, and premiered in the Fall of 2015, a few months after Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennan’s hit musical dramedy “Glee” concluded.
Powell played Chad Radwell, a frat-boy archetype who is the embodiment of privilege, narcissism and, of course, toxic masculinity. In the first season, he served as the Dickie Dollar Scholars golfing fraternity at Wallace University, and is in an on-again, off-again relationship with Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts), whom he regularly cheats on. Although he embodies his stereotype, Powell portrays Chad with sincerity, without any irony in a series that is otherwise a satire on the horror genre.
From Chad Radwell, to Chad Powers
While Powell was a main cast member in Season 1 of “Scream Queens,” he became recurring in Season 2. Chad Radwell becomes a medical student at Caregivers United in Restorative Etiology Institute Hospital (C.U.R.E.), and is seemingly on the up-and-up in his career prospects and personal life, proposing to Chanel and planning to get married the following day. Unfortunately for Chad, he gets stabbed in the throat, with his corpse falling through the ceiling and right atop the altar, much to Chanel’s abject terror.
After “Scream Queens” got cancelled after two seasons, Powell started to appear in films, with progressively larger roles. His film credits include “Everybody Wants Some!!” and “Hidden Figures,” but arguably his biggest mainstream breakthrough was with “Top Gun: Maverick,” in which he exhibited some of his signature cocky, albeit charmingly confident nature with ultimately, a heart of gold under the surface.
Although he has become notable as one of the rising movie stars of the decade, Powell is also the co-creator and titular star of the Hulu sports comedy series, “Chad Powers,” which was renewed for a second season. Powell compared his current Chad to his previous on “Scream Queens” telling People, “I got to say, this Chad, Chad Powers is a much sweeter, kinder Chad, and one that was very inspiring to play. I had a great time going to work every day. Not one bad day.”