Hollywood’s newest A-lister Glen Powell is taking on the role of producer for Amazon Prime’s feature documentary “The Blue Angels.” We had a chance to sit down with the aviation enthusiast as he talked about the connections he made through “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Devotion,” working with J.J. Abrams on “The Blue Angels” and whether or not he plans to direct anytime soon.
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00:00I had really formed an amazing community on Top Gun and Devotion with the Navy,
00:04and when J.J. Abrams got on board, you know, it really opened it up
00:08to blow audiences' mind and put them in a cockpit that they've never had access to.
00:18You know, after Top Gun, and it was while I was shooting Devotion that I was connected,
00:22my buddy Brian Ferguson, who's the liaison between Top Gun, the institution, and Top Gun,
00:27the movie, told me that they were trying to put a Blue Angels dock together,
00:31they were having some issues, and he said, would you mind talking to Boss Wooldridge?
00:36He's the most legendary boss in the Blue Angels history, and I said, absolutely.
00:41So we started talking about kind of his vision for it, and then as we were talking, I realized
00:46I had really formed an amazing community on Top Gun and Devotion with the Navy,
00:50and I'd really known all of these people through that process, and we lived on all these naval
00:55bases, so I kind of knew all the important figures that would be necessary, and I learned
01:02so much about the evolution of IMAX technology and how it's gotten smaller and smaller, where
01:07you could actually put these IMAX cameras on these planes and not affect the airworthiness.
01:12So it was like, all of a sudden, you know, as I was talking to Boss, I was starting to realize
01:16that there was a technological moment for this thing where we really could give audiences
01:21something unprecedented, and so it started developing, and when J.J. Abrams got on board,
01:26you know, it really opened it up in a completely different way, where we really, in addition to,
01:33you know, having, you know, the human side to learning about these Blue Angels pilots and what
01:38life looks like for them, you know, 300 days on the road a year, you know, taking this show all
01:43around the world, we also got a chance to blow audiences' mind and put them in a cockpit that
01:48they've never had access to. There are moments the world will slow down for just a couple seconds.
01:55I don't think people really have a concept of what Gs are and what that is on your body.
02:00Obviously, during Top Gun, we had to figure out how to increase our G tolerance so we weren't
02:06passing out in the back of jets, but the crazy thing about the Blue Angels is because of the
02:12precision, because they're flying so close to each other at such crazy speeds, how a G suit
02:17works is it literally inflates and squeezes blood in your legs and keeps it in the top half of your
02:23body so you don't pass out. The Blue Angels do not have a G suit because it would affect how that
02:28stick moves and potentially harm other people when you're flying in that close proximity.
02:34So they have to learn how to endure more Gs than any other pilot and do it without that G suit,
02:40which is incredibly impressive. So what you're seeing in that centrifuge is them increasing
02:44those Gs essentially until they pass out and learning how to continue to push that limit so
02:51that we're never worried about those pilots G-locking when they're up there pulling off
02:55these maneuvers. I think that's a really impressive part of this documentary because it's such a human
03:02part of it. You see what it feels like someone that you and I would know, just an ordinary
03:07person walking into this thing where you are spun around like a washing machine until you pass out
03:13and you continue to do that because that's what these pilots have to do. You know, even when you
03:18hit perfection, you know there's a point past that that there's always, you can always do better.
03:24And I think that's such a defining aspect of the Blues. When you're flying 12 inches apart,
03:30everybody's lives are in each other's hands. It's an eye opener for how inherently dangerous this
03:34job is. Ready, roll hats. You know, my grandfather was a flight surgeon in the Navy and I remember
03:43you know, he was so excited to bring all the cousins. I grew up in a really big family with
03:48a lot of cousins. So my aunts and my mom, we all went to the Blue Angels show in Texas. It was
03:56outside of Dallas. And I remember going to that show and not really knowing, you know, as a kid
04:03you sort of, okay, like the Blue Angels, like what is this? And I remember just like looking up and
04:09my eyes being like so locked on what was going on. It was like so overwhelming and so intense and
04:15so visceral and loud and dynamic and looking at other, like, you know, as a kid looking up,
04:22you're obviously, your mind is blown. But then to look at the adults and their minds are blown,
04:25it's like, it's a truly wonderful thing to be around when people are pushing the limits of
04:31what you think is possible. To have your mind blown in this world is just an amazing thing.
04:36And I remember the second part that kind of blew my mind was that these pilots got out of their
04:44planes and they came and they signed autographs. They took pictures with everybody. They were so
04:47kind and they were so generous with their time. And they just sort of represented,
04:52I don't know, who I want to be, which is someone who does, you know, pushes the boundaries of what
04:57people think is possible and also is a really good person, you know, and treats people well.
05:02And the Blue Angels really are that, you know, not only are the best pilots in the world,
05:07but they're the best of the Navy. They're the best of America. And I was just kind of fascinated by
05:14them. So I had a poster of them on my wall ever since I was, you know, it's that moment on,
05:20you know, I had my signed Blue Angels poster in my bedroom and until I left for college.
05:26And so, but I think that's the fun part is like, in this documentary, we not only get a chance to
05:34see, you know, we capture with all these IMAX cameras, like the visceral flight and then the
05:42toll on the body. And with, we had the, you know, the aerial team from Top Gun Maverick
05:47have unprecedented access to film these things that people have never seen on camera before.
05:52But in addition to that, we're getting to spend time with the pilots on the ground,
05:55with their families, to see what a year in the Blue Angels is like. You know, I'm, I'm the best
06:00part about, I feel like where I am right now is like, I'm getting to work with all the filmmakers
06:04like I've idolized my whole life, you know, and, you know, I'm getting, I'm getting the best
06:10filmmaking education right now. So the, the film school that I'm, I'm, I'm on right now, I, you
06:16know, there's no plans to direct anytime soon, but, you know, if I ever step into that chair,
06:22you know, I want to make sure I'm prepared, but I'm, I'm definitely, you know, anybody that knows
06:26me knows I just love movies and I, and the happiest you'll ever see me is on a film set. So
06:30this is the same way with this documentary is there's so many, in addition to being a really
06:34cool documentary, there's so many cool filmic, you know, aspects of this movie that, that really
06:38make it a cool theatrical experience. It's a really human perspective into a pretty extraordinary feat.