“Over time, I realized that politics divide people,” Powell said. “People trying to prove their point — for me, it’s the worst version of a conversation. I genuinely do not like the discourse. It’s not as healthy as it once was.”
The actor continued by explaining that he believes engaging in politics “is not presently possible.”
“I applaud people for jumping into those things and fighting for what they believe in. If I were a political person, I would be talking about it. For me, my calling is elsewhere,” Powell said.
The actor said that despite his mother’s profession, politics were never dinner table conversation growing up. “Thank God,” he said of the fact.
Elsewhere in the interview Powell addressed why his film The Running Man flopped after he starred in popular films such as Top Gun: Maverick, Anyone but You and Twisters. The actor attributed its poor box office performance to the Paramount layoffs that occurred in October 2025.
“They let go of an entire marketing department a month before our movie came out in the middle of a merger,” Powell said.
The Running Man was followed up with Powell’s 2026 thriller How to Make a Killing, which also didn’t make a splash at the box office.
“There were a lot of issues with that,” Powell said. “There just was not enough time to do it properly. I look back on that one as an example of going, You know what, there’s no rush.”
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