Glen Powell Dismisses Comparisons to "Legend" Ryan Gosling: "I'm Just Glen"

An "unnamed producer" claimed Gosling's "appeal is mostly limited to female audiences."

Ryan Gosling and Glen Powell
(Image credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images/Lia Toby/Getty Images for Warner Bros. )

Glen Powell is not here for your praise if it's at the expense of someone else. Case in point: after an anonymous producer suggested Powell had wider box office appeal than Ryan Gosling, the Hit Man star took to X to voice his response.

Earlier this week, an "unnamed producer" spoke to The Wrap about Powell's career trajectory, saying, "Unlike an actor like Ryan Gosling, whose appeal is mostly limited to female audiences, Glen appeals to both females and males." Powell was also referred to as the "biggest up-and-coming movie star," thanks to his breakout performances in hits like romantic comedy Anyone But You and summer blockbuster Twisters.

Having read the article, Powell clapped back at the suggestion he was somehow more appealing than the Barbie star. "Gosling is a legend," Powell wrote on X. "I’m just Glen." Unsurprisingly, his pitch perfect response, which references Gosling's famous performance of the song "I'm Just Ken," garnered Powell a ton more fans.

Praising Powell's response, one fan commented on X, "humble considerate King, this is why you’ll always be famous." Meanwhile, another commenter noted, "I'm not sure who wrote this article but they're wrong. We love both of them. And they should be in a buddy cop movie together."

While Powell's star has been on the rise since he appeared in Top Gun: Maverick, the actor has been working steadily since he was just a kid. In a 2024 GQ profile of Powell, Hit Man director Richard Linklater said of the actor, "He’s a really positive guy." He continued, "He doesn’t hold grudges, or feel like the world’s against him. He’s just like, 'OK, that didn’t work out. But, next time!'"

During the same profile, Powell revealed that Matthew McConaughey advised him to move back home to Texas. "He said: 'Hollywood is the Matrix,'" Powell explained. "When you go to Hollywood, you plug into the Matrix, you shake hands, you kiss the babies, you go in the rooms. People can knock you down, they can hurt you, but it’s not real. Then you go back to Austin, you unplug, you’re with your family and friends. That’s where life matters.'"

As for Powell and Gosling: we'll take them both, thanks.

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.