‘I’m just Glen’: Hollywood’s ‘biggest up-and-coming movie star’ appears to have a secret weapon in his arsenal that Ryan Gosling does not

Glen Powell has captured our hearts (once again) following a post on X in which he modestly refutes claims that he has more star power than Ryan Gosling.  Powell was reacting to a recent interview he did for The Wrap, in which an “unnamed producer” described the actor as “the biggest up-and-coming movie star.” 

The article, ‘Glen Powell Is a 21st Century Movie Star Charting His Own Path’, claims Powell’s A-list status surpasses Gosling’s, since The Notebook actor’s “appeal is mostly limited to female audiences.” Powell, meanwhile, “appeals to both females and males.”

While the argument that Gosling only appeals to female audiences is somewhat refutable (he has starred in a whole heap of male-geared action films from Fall Guy to Blade Runner 2049), the article makes a pretty convincing case as to why Powell is best poised to be crowned Hollywood’s new It-guy. 

It cites the actor’s decision to turn down a role in the Chris Pratt-starring, blockbuster franchise Jurassic World as evidence of how he is “setting up his longevity.” It also points to the mammoth success of Powell’s most recent movies, from the rom-com revival that is Anyone But You to the surprise box office smash, Twisters. 

Taking the compliment in his stride (like a true movie star), Powell responded to The Wrap pull quote on X. “Gosling is a legend,” he wrote, seemingly shrugging off the comparison. “I’m just Glen.” Of course, he’s referring to the Mark Ronson-produced song “I’m Just Ken”, which featured in Barbie and was performed by Gosling as Ken. 

For what it’s worth, Barbie itself was a sign of Gosling’s own star power, breaking box office records and basically turning the world pastel pink for the better part of last year. While it didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, Gosling did perform “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars. However, perhaps we don’t even need to compare the two actors, as many social media users quickly pointed out. 

“We love both of them,” one person wrote, “and they should be in a buddy cop movie together.” Another user clarified that “two great people can coexist.” In any case, it seems Powell’s star power will only continue to grow. It has been reported that the actor will appear in the upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man, directed and written by Edgar Wright. 

Who knows, maybe someday Powell will also be performing at the Oscars (or at least attending).