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 to blow audiences' mind
00:10and 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, the movie,
00:27told me that they were trying to put a Blue Angels doc together.
00:31They were having some issues.
00:32And he said, would you mind talking to Boss Wooldridge?
00:36He's the most legendary boss in the Blue Angels history.
00:39And I said, absolutely.
00:41So we started talking about kind of his vision for it.
00:44And then as we were talking, I realized I had really formed an amazing community on Top Gun and Devotion with the Navy.
00:51And I'd really known all of these people through that process.
00:54And we lived on all these naval bases.
00:55So I kind of knew all the kind of the important figures that would that would be necessary.
01:00And I learned so much about, you know, the evolution of IMAX technology and how it's gotten smaller and smaller,
01:07where you can 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,
01:15I was I was starting to realize that there was a technological moment for this thing
01:20where we really could give audiences something unprecedented.
01:22And so it started developing.
01:24And when J.J. Abrams got on board, you know, it really opened it up in a completely different way,
01:30where we really, in addition to, you know, having, you know, the human side to learning about these Blue Angels pilots
01:37and what life looks like for them, you know, 300 days on the road a year, you know, taking this show all around the world.
01:43We also got a chance to to blow audiences mind and put them in a cockpit that they've never had access to.
01:49There are moments the world will slow down for just a couple of seconds.
01:55I don't think people really have a concept of what G's are and what that is on your body.
02:00Obviously, during Top Gun, we had to figure out how to increase our G tolerance.
02:05So we weren't passing out in the back of jets.
02:08But the crazy thing about the Blue Angels is because of the precision,
02:12because they're flying so close to each other at such crazy speeds,
02:16how a G suit works is it literally inflates and squeezes blood in your legs
02:22and keeps it in the top half of your body so you don't pass out.
02:25The Blue Angels do not have a G suit because it would affect how that stick moves
02:29and potentially harm other people when you're flying in that close proximity.
02:34So they have to learn how to endure more G's than any other pilot and do it without that G suit,
02:40which is incredibly impressive.
02:41So what you're seeing in that centrifuge is them increasing those G's
02:45essentially until they pass out and learning how to continue to push that limit
02:50so that we're never worried about, you know, those pilots G locking when they're up there pulling off these maneuvers.
02:56I think that's a really impressive part of this documentary because it's such a human part of it.
03:03You know, you see what it feels like someone that you and I would know,
03:06just an ordinary person walking into this thing where you are like spun around like a washing machine
03:12until you pass out and you continue to do that because that's what these pilots have to do.
03:17You know, even when you hit perfection, you know, there's a point past that,
03:22that there's always, you can always do better.
03:23And I think that's such a defining aspect of the blues.
03:27When you're flying 12 inches apart, everybody's lives are in each other's hands.
03:32It's an eye opener for how inherently dangerous this job is.
03:36Ready, roll, hats.
03:38You know, my grandfather was a flight surgeon in the Navy.
03:42And I remember, you know, he was so excited to bring all the cousins.
03:47I grew up in a really big family, so a lot of cousins.
03:49And so, so my aunts and my mom, we all, we all went to the Blue Angels show in Texas.
03:56It was outside of Dallas.
03:57And, and I remember going to that show and, and not really knowing, you know, as a kid, you, you, you sort of, okay.
04:04Like the Blue Angels, like, what is this?
04:05And I remember just like looking up and my eyes being like so locked on what was going on.
04:13It was like so overwhelming and so intense and so visceral and loud and dynamic and, and, and looking at, at other, like, you know, as a kid looking up, you're obviously, your mind is blown.
04:23But then to look at the adults and their minds are blown is like, it's a truly wonderful thing to be around when, when people are pushing the limits of what you think is possible to have your mind blown in this world is just an amazing thing.
04:36And, and I remember the, the, the second part that, that kind of blew my mind was that these pilots got out of their planes and they came and they signed autographs.
04:46They took pictures with everybody and they were so kind and they were so generous with their time.
04:50And they just sort of represented, I don't know who I want to be, which is, which is someone who does, you know, pushes the boundaries of what people think is possible and also is a really good person, you know, and, and treats people well.
05:02And the Blue Angels really are that, you know, not only are the best, the best pilots in the world, but, but they're the best of, of the Navy, they're the best of America.
05:11And I was just kind of fascinated by them.
05:14So I had a, a, a, a poster of them on my wall ever since I was, you know, it's that moment on, you know, I had my signed Blue Angels poster in my, in my bedroom and until I left for, for college.
05:26And, and so, but I think that's the, that's the fun part is like to, to, in this documentary, we, we not only get a chance to see, you know, we, we capture with all these IMAX cameras, like the visceral, the visceral flight.
05:41And, and, and then, then the toll on the body and, and with, with, we had the, you know, the aerial team from Top Gun Maverick have 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, with their families to see what a year in the Blue Angels is like, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm the, the best part 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, um, you know, I'm getting, I'm getting the best film.
06:11filmmaking, uh, education right now.
06:13So the, the film school that I'm, I'm, I'm on right now, I, I, you know, there's no plans to direct anytime soon, but, um, you know, if I ever step into that chair, you know, I want to make sure I'm prepared, but I'm, I'm definitely, you know, anybody that knows me knows, I just love movies and I, and the happiest you'll ever see me is on a film set.
06:30So this is the same way with this documentary is there's so many, in addition to being a really cool documentary, there's so many cool filmic, you know, aspects of this movie that, that really make it a cool theatrical experience.
06:40It's a really human perspective into a pretty extraordinary feat.