Glen Powell on co-writing 'Hit Man' and his survival skill sets

Glen Powell stars in "Hit Man," where he plays an ordinary professor who moonlights for law enforcement.

One day, Powell's character is unexpectedly deployed on the field as a fake assassin.

Unbelievable as that may sound, the film is based on the real-life story of Gary Johnson, written by Skip Hollandsworth for “Texas Monthly Magazine”.

“Hit Man” is directed by Richard Linklater.

The award-winning filmmaker co-wrote the script with Powell.

"What's amazing about this process with Rick is I've known him since I was 14," Powell recalled. It’s our fourth movie together, so there's just a real creative shorthand. The process was really effortless."

Glen Powell plays Gary Johnson in "Hit Man." (Courtesy: Netflix "Hitman)

The actor's string of blockbuster hits includes “Top Gun: Maverick” and the romcom “Anyone But You.”

Powell now sits on top as Hollywood’s current hottest leading man.

He recalled that his career started in his hometown of Austin, Texas.

"I’ve been acting in musicals in town ever since I was 10," said Powell. "I haven't lost a bit of love for it. It's weird how full circle it is."

Asked how his early years as an actor prepared him for high-profile roles in his career, Powell said it was a "really slow burn."

"[It's] a long runway to this moment. Through failure, you pick up a lot of skill sets," the actor said. "But it's armed me with things where I've had to produce and raise money for things and write things. You develop all these skill sets just on a survival aspect to be able to stay in town."

Adria Arjona is Maddy Masters in "Hit Man." (Courtesy: Netflix "Hit Man)

While Powell brings his a-game in playing multiple characters, in the film he is evenly matched by Adria Arjona’s beguiling yet vulnerable performance as Madison.

"I love that Madison is sort of playing the role of a femme fatale," said Arjona. "She has her own idea of what that might be. I've never been given that opportunity to play a character that's also acting while acting."

"Hit Man" is now streaming on Netflix.