Glen Powell is drawing a firm line around political commentary — and speaking candidly about what he believes hurt The Running Man at the box office.
In a new Esquire cover story, the actor said he has no interest in entering the political fray, describing today’s discourse as divisive and unhealthy. He also linked the weak commercial performance of The Running Man to upheaval inside Paramount, saying the studio eliminated its marketing department shortly before the movie arrived.
“They let go of an entire marketing department a month before our movie came out in the middle of a merger,” Powell said.
The Running Man was released on Nov. 14, 2025. Paramount began a series of staff cuts on Oct. 29, with approximately 1,000 jobs affected.
Powell says politics are not his calling
Powell’s reluctance to discuss politics dates back to his family life. His mother, Cyndy Powell, worked in the U.S. Treasury Department during the Reagan administration, but he said current events did not become dinner-table conversation in their household.
“Thank God,” he said.
The actor explained that his attitude developed “over time” as he watched political conversations become increasingly confrontational.
“I’ve realized that politics divide people,” Powell said. “People trying to prove their point — for me, it’s the worst version of a conversation. I genuinely do not like the discourse. It’s not as healthy as it once was.”
Powell said productive political engagement was “not presently possible” for him, though he expressed respect for those willing to publicly advocate for their convictions.
“I applaud people for jumping into those things and fighting for what they believe in,” he said. “If I were a political person, I would be talking about it. For me, my calling is elsewhere.”
Other stars have voiced similar concerns
Powell is not the only actor to question the value of celebrity political commentary. His Anyone But You co-star Sydney Sweeney said in a January Cosmopolitan cover interview that she had “never been here to talk about politics.” Her remarks followed the fallout surrounding her viral American Eagle jeans advertisement.
Sweeney also indicated that she did not expect to publicly confirm her political beliefs.
“I’m not a political person. I’m in the arts. I’m not here to speak on politics,” she said. “That’s not an area I’ve ever even imagined getting into. It’s not why I became who I am. I became an actor because I like to tell stories, but I don’t believe in hate in any form. I believe we should all love each other and have respect and understanding for one another.”
Jennifer Lawrence raised a related question last November when discussing whether she should continue speaking out against Donald Trump after being vocal about her views during his first term.
“I don’t really know if I should,” Lawrence said on The Interview podcast. She recalled feeling as though she was “running around like a chicken with my head cut off” during the first Trump administration, but said subsequent elections had made her doubt whether celebrity statements influence voters.
“Celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for,” Lawrence said. “So then what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.”
Powell points to studio disruption
Powell’s comments about The Running Man place the film’s box-office struggles against the backdrop of major internal cuts at Paramount. Rather than focusing on the movie itself, he highlighted the loss of marketing staff immediately before its release.
His explanation adds another dimension to his broader refusal to wade into political debate: While Powell does not view public political advocacy as his role, he is prepared to address the business circumstances surrounding one of his films and what he believes went wrong.