The 'Hidden Figures' actor reveals the 'Mission: Impossible' star paid for his flight school after seeing his 'Top Gun: Maverick' co-star 'flexes it' while shooting the movie.
- March 12, 2020
AceShowbiz - Glen Powell has achieved his dream of becoming a pilot, and he has Tom Cruise to thank for it. When making the announcement that he is now officially a licensed pilot, the actor portraying John Glenn in "Hidden Figures" revealed his "Top Gun: Maverick" co-star has paid for his flight school.
On Tuesday, March 10, the 31-year-old actor took to Instagram to spill on the details. Titling his post "Pilot's License", he kicked off his story by writing, "Try not falling in love with aviation after living out every pilot's dream while shooting @topgunmovie. Especially when you see the way @tomcruise flexes it."
"After wrapping a shooting day, Tom would rocket off into the sunset in his P-51 while I would limply shuffle into the cast van," the actor continued. "The wings were just so much cooler than the wheels...and for Christmas, Tom bought me an iPad with my flight school downloaded and prepaid. And yesterday, after months of flying, studying, and testing...I'm the real deal."
Powell's post itself saw a video of him getting his T-shirt ripped off by his instructor. "This is a video of me after my first solo flight. It's a tradition in the aviation community for your instructor to tear away your shirt signifying that teacher's finally 'off your back'," he explained. "My instructor @wallysaygers is just following ceremony, he doesn't rip off my clothes after every flight."
Near the end of his post, the Chad Radwell depicter on Fox's "Scream Queens" expressed his endless gratitude to the people who have been supporting him in his quest. "Thank you Walt for being my sky shepherd, thank you Shane for making my @corsair_aviation experience effortless, and thank you Tom for being my hype man every step of the way," he gushed.
Powell starred opposite Cruise co-starred in the upcoming sequel to 1986's "Top Gun". The two of them are joined by Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller in the cast ensemble, and worked under the direction of Joseph Kosinski. This second "Top Gun" movie itself will hit theaters nationwide on June 24.
