‘It Was a Bit of an Ego Hit’: Glen Powell Reveals He Auditioned for Major TV Show Four Times

Glen Powell may be locking down roles left and right these days, but that wasn’t always the case.

Before his rise to stardom, the Twisters actor appeared in shows such as NCIS and, most notably, Scream Queens.

One of those almost ended up being football drama, Friday Night Lights. While doing GQ’s “Actually Me” interview, Powell responded to a fan comment wondering about bad audition stories or roles he thought he was getting but didn’t, saying he’s “had more bad auditions than maybe anyone in Hollywood, ever.”

“You could probably bribe some casting directors to ruin my career,” he continued. “I’ll tell you one that was really hard for me was when I was growing up in Austin, Texas. Friday Night Lights was one of my favorite shows. I auditioned for Friday Night Lights probably four times. I was a Texas football player, I was in high school in Austin, they were shooting in my hometown at the time, and I still couldn’t get on that show. It was a bit of an ego hit, but I’m still a fan of the show.”

Friday Night Lights ran for two seasons on NBC and an additional three seasons on DirecTV. The show’s ensemble cast pretty much stayed the same throughout most of the run until the final two seasons, but it’s unknown which role or roles Powell auditioned for and how big they would have been. Had he landed a role on FNL, it’s also hard to tell how much that could have changed his career. Even though it probably stung not getting a part on Friday Night Lights, Powell certainly seems to be doing well now.

Meanwhile, he’s not the only big star who nearly got a role on the drama. Emma Stone previously admitted that when she was auditioning in LA when she was 15, she “got a couple callbacks for Friday Night Lights for Coach Taylor’s daughter. And I was like totally devastated that it didn’t work out.” The role ultimately went to Aimee Teegarden, but just like Powell, it all worked out in the end, because she’s now a two-time Oscar winner.

Along with Teegarden, Friday Night Lights’ ensemble cast included Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Gaius Charles, Zach Gilford, Minka Kelly, Adrianne Palicki, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons, Scott Porter, Michael B. Jordan, Jurnee Smollett, Matt Lauria, Madison Burge, and Grey Damon.