The Spy Kids Character You Likely Didn't Realize Was Played By Glen Powell
These days, Glen Powell is everywhere. The guy has been in everything from a Netflix original romantic comedy to a Richard Linklater original to an epic action movie that ended up getting an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. With that in mind, you probably didn't notice that he briefly shows up in one of the "Spy Kids" movies.
The family-friendly series — led by Carmen Cortez (Alexa Vega) and her younger brother Juni (Daryl Sabara), as well as their parents Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid (Carla Gugino) — spans a handful of films and even got a TV spin-off ... and Powell plays a super-small role in the third movie. In 2003's "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over," where Juni learns that Carmen has been trapped inside of a video game due to the evil machinations of a former spy known as the Toymaker (played by Sylvester Stallone), Powell briefly plays a character simply named "Long-fingered boy." You can see him briefly in this clip helping Juni find his mech suit in an arena.
Clearly, Powell has come a long way. So what does he remember about his time in the "Spy Kids" franchise? According to a recent interview, not a whole lot — instead, it was a different early experience in the industry that changed his whole approach.
Despite getting his start in Spy Kids, Glen Powell remembers another early acting experience much more clearly
In a new profile in The Hollywood Reporter, interview Lacey Rose brings up "Spy Kids" — which, as she points out, was directed by Glen Powell's fellow Texas native Robert Rodriguez — but ultimately, Powell says that a Discovery series called "Endurance 2" is really what changed him. A competition show for kids loosely styled after "Survivor," Powell says "Endurance 2" was incredibly difficult for him, to the point where he failed the physical challenge in the very first episode and was immediately eliminated.
"I mean, it's the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a freshman in high school," Powell recalls, noting that he wasn't exactly in peak physical condition at the time. "Not only are you the runt of the grade, but you just failed on a strength performance thing in front of the world, and the amount of sh*t that I got was extraordinary," Powell said before saying that the show inspired him to get in extremely good shape after the fact (as he put it, the thought process was "I'll show them").
"It made me just ferocious, like, 'I'm going to become the strongest mother-f**ker ever,' and weirdly more dialed-in in every aspect of my life," Powell revealed. Apparently, that's worked; nowadays, Powell's roles are often pretty physical, and apparently, he can thank his loss on "Endurance 2."
These days, Glen Powell is a major star to watch
Glen Powell's definitely not embarrassing himself on the big — or small — screen anymore. After a role in the 2006 film "Fast Food Nation" and another small turn in 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises," Ryan Murphy's campy horror series "Scream Queens" helped put Powell on the map in 2015 (he plays Chad Radwell, erstwhile boyfriend to Emma Roberts' queen bee Chanel Oberlin). 2016 was another big year for the actor, marking his first collaboration with writer-director Richard Linklater in the ensemble comedy "Everybody Wants Some!!!" as well as an appearance in the Oscar-nominated film "Hidden Figures." Finally, "Set It Up," the Netflix original comedy, confirmed that Powell was a star to watch — though, as he recalls in his THR profile, he had to beg to screen test with original star Emilia Clarke and managed to stay onboard after she left due to scheduling conflicts (Zoey Deutch ended up playing the female lead).
Now, Powell is likely most well-known for playing big roles like Lieutenant Jake "Hangman" Seresin in the major hit "Top Gun: Maverick," leading Linklater's latest film "Hit Man" (which Powell also co-wrote and produced), and charming audiences in a romantic comedy once again in the surprise box office hit "Anyone But You" alongside Sydney Sweeney. If you want to revisit his humble roots, though, you can always go check out his miniscule role in "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over."