The road to stardom wasn’t always easy for Glen Powell.

While you’re talking to Vanity fair for the 2025 Hollywood issue, the Twisters star, 36, opened up about the early days of his career.

“As a struggling actor, there is no harder place to live than being in Hollywood with nothing going on,” he said. “The currency of that city is how relevant you are and what your last job is. It makes you oppressively self-conscious.”

The Everything but you The actor then revealed that sometimes the only way to get through these uncertain times was to “lie to yourself.”

“Even in the darkest moments in that city, when nothing really happened, you have to lie to yourself, at least a little, and pretend that this is that chapter of the story where things just aren’t going well,” he explained. “You have to believe in the Hollywood legends of the people you admire, the people you chase, who also lived through those long periods of famine.”

Powell also noted that many people outside the industry don’t realize how difficult it can be to even get an audition, let alone land a role.

“People say, ‘Oh man, auditioning must be tough.’ And I’m like, ‘No, auditioning is one luxury.‘”

“Finding an agent, finding someone to talk to you at a damn party, having enough money to pay for headshots, these are the things no one talks about,” he continued.

He added, “Auditioning feels like being at the party. You’ve gotten past the velvet rope. You may not be able to afford a drink at the party, but you’re in it, you taste it. But so often in Hollywood you’re usually outside that velvet rope. Most of the time the bouncer won’t even let you anywhere near there.”

Now that the Touch man star is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men, he admits he has a whole new set of variables to consider – specifically how to feel creatively fulfilled while entertaining audiences.

“I try to think, ‘Public first,’ instead of, ‘Me first.’ he said, adding, “What does the audience want to see?” How can I fit into a role that really challenges what I do, where I don’t get into some kind of groove that feels too familiar or too monotonous? Do you know what I mean?”

“There’s always been this phrase: ‘One for me, one for them,’” he continued. “And I just completely disagree with that idea. I think it could all be for them, and it could all be for you, and you just have to think really hard about what you’re a part of.

During the interview, Powell also explained that his “audience first” mentality extends to press tours, acknowledging that he and his Everything but you costar, Sydney Sweeny, 27, was aware that bringing flirty chemistry to red carpets and interviews would only help their film’s success overall, despite both being involved with other people.

“I think what people forget about a press tour is that it’s about entertainment. I don’t think it’s ambiguous,” he said.

“For TwistersI had the best time because I literally got to live in a world of trucks and tornadoes, and the South, and country music, and all these different things, where I was like, “This is totally me.” he continued. “Shooting a beer on stage with Luke Combs is press, but that’s also something I’ve had the most time with.”

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In May the Top Gun: Maverick actor revealed that he made the decision to leave his home of 15 years in LA and return to his roots in Austin, Texas after a conversation with actor Matthew McConaughey.

While you’re talking to The Hollywood ReporterPowell recalled McConaughey telling him, “Hollywood is the Matrix, man. You plug in and it’s all a fake world. ‘ He says, ‘Then I’ll go to Austin and unplug. It’s all real. Those are my friends, those are my family, my actions matter there.” “

“And he’s right,” Powell said, “when you’re here (in Hollywood) and you’re living in the Matrix all the time, there’s no separation between those worlds. And for me, especially as my parents get older and my niece and nephew grow up, I want a separation of those worlds.”