Glen Powell on the Terrifying Mid-Air Prank Tom Cruise Played On Him

In a new cover story with GQ U.K., Glen Powell revealed that Tom Cruise played a heart-stopping prank on him while the two were filming Top: Gun Maverick.

Cruise offered to use his personal helicopter to fly Powell back to their London accommodations after finishing Maverick reshoots at nearby Pinewood Studios. But Powell didn’t realize Cruise would literally be piloting the aircraft until he arrived on the tarmac.

Powell was a bit nervous to be spending an extended one-on-one session with one of his idols, but he wasn’t particularly concerned with Cruise’s piloting skills. The Mission: Impossible actor, who obtained his pilot’s license back in 1994, has made no secret of his skill for aviation.

But according to Powell, Cruise saw it fit to take advantage of the young actor’s naiveté. Suddenly, Cruise began furrowing his brow and acting concerned before suddenly bucking the helicopter.

“Tom goes, ‘Oh no, oh no,’ and he starts dropping the helicopter over London,” Powell recalled.

Rather than his imminent demise, though, Powell was concerned with how the media would handle the potential crash.

“I was like, ‘Am I about to be the unnamed guy that dies with Tom in a smoking hole in the middle of London?’” Powell joked.

Powell admitted to being inspired by Cruise in all facets of his Hollywood career, but he was particularly roused by the star’s commitment to air travel. Shortly after Maverick wrapped in 2021, just a few months after Cruise’s mid-air prank, Powell obtained his own pilot’s license.

He’s had a ball ferrying his buddies on weekend trips to Las Vegas and Palm Springs, but unfortunately, flying isn’t quite as attractive as Cruise makes it look.

“I thought I could be Tom Cruise,” Powell said. “He has a helicopter and he’s flying actual jets. If I have to pop over to New York or Texas, in this SR-22 [a five-seater, one-engine aircraft], it’ll take me forever.”

Powell can next be seen in Twisters, which hits cinemas on July 19. You can check out the trailer below.