Glen Powell Reveals the One ‘Chad Powers’ Scene That Made Him More Nervous than Anything Else

Glen Powell has built his recent career on charm-forward performances, from blockbuster ensembles like ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Twisters’ to leading roles in ‘Hit Man’ and ‘Anyone But You.’ That easygoing screen presence has made him one of Hollywood’s most reliably likable leading men, someone who rarely seems rattled in front of a camera.

His current project has demanded a different kind of vulnerability, though. ‘Chad Powers,’ the Hulu comedy Powell co-created with Michael Waldron, follows disgraced football star Russ Holliday as he disguises himself to sneak back onto the field under a fake identity, chasing redemption for a public collapse that derailed his once-promising career.

Season two pushes that story into far more emotionally complicated territory, and it turns out one particular scene left Powell more anxious than anything else the physically demanding show has thrown at him. In the season finale, Chad and Coach Ricky, played by Perry Mattfeld, finally kiss after weeks of simmering tension between the two characters.

Powell admitted the moment was the one he’d been most nervous about filming all season. He explained that because he and Mattfeld are such close friends off screen, the scene left him more anxious than anything else, telling PEOPLE that it was truly the most nervous he’s been on set.

Mattfeld offered her own perspective on what makes the moment land the way it does emotionally. She described the scene as carrying real weight for both characters, given that Ricky has just accepted a coaching job elsewhere and her departure is imminent, meaning the timing of the kiss is tied directly to the fact that she and Chad are no longer bound by a coach-player dynamic.

That layered emotional context adds real stakes to a season Powell has described as significantly more intense than the show’s freshman run. He noted that the stakes couldn’t be higher this time around, calling season two a genuinely intense stretch of television for his character to navigate.

Much of that intensity stems from Russ’s unraveling secret identity. Season one ended with his double life as Chad exposed to Ricky, and season two finds him increasingly cornered as the walls close in around the elaborate ruse he built to get a second shot at football glory.

‘Chad Powers’ draws its premise from a viral 2022 segment by Eli Manning, who went undercover at Penn State’s walk-on tryouts disguised with a prosthetic mask and mustache under the same fictional name. Manning executive produces the Hulu series alongside his brother, Peyton Manning, and even makes a cameo appearance within the show itself.

The series has continued building buzz throughout its production, with Powell previously teasing increased physical demands for season two, including more football action that’s reportedly left him nursing real bumps and bruises along the way. That physical commitment, paired with the emotional weight of Chad and Ricky’s arc, suggests season two is asking considerably more of its star than the show’s first run did.

With the season finale now bringing years of slow-burn tension to a head, fans finally have confirmation of how Chad and Ricky’s relationship evolves, even if the moment came with its own set of nerves for the actor bringing it to life. Whatever happens next for Russ Holliday’s double identity, this kiss looks set to be one of the season’s most talked-about moments.

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