Executive Producer and former NFL star Peyton Manning chats with THR at the 'Chad Powers' premiere in Los Angeles. He talks about Glen Powell's Powers and jokes how he is "way better looking than Eli."
00:03So how did you and Eli know that kind of this viral skit would work?
00:06Did not.
00:07Had no idea.
00:09Loved the skit.
00:10Loved Eli's execution of it.
00:12Actually telling a real story that colleges do have a day when a student can come try out.
00:17So he was telling a real story of college football, but no idea that it was going to become this.
00:23And really didn't know it was going to become as viral, but I give Eli credit.
00:26I mean, he absolutely went for it.
00:27I mean, if you're going to do it, and what I liked about it too, only the head coach James Franklin of Penn State knew about it.
00:32He didn't tell one other person, not even like one assistant.
00:35So everybody's reaction was real and authentic, which makes those things a go.
00:40And then all of a sudden it's like, hey, somebody thinks they might be able to make a show out of it.
00:47And we're like, okay.
00:49And then, you know, all of a sudden Glenn Powell's name gets mentioned.
00:52And all of a sudden we're here at the Rose Bowl celebrating the release.
00:56So didn't see it coming.
00:58What about their pitch on our favorite?
01:01I think the fact that let's make it certainly a football show, which makes sense, a comedy.
01:09And then let's make it a comeback redemption story.
01:11Let's do all three of those together.
01:13I don't think it was going to work if it was just a football movie.
01:16There's plenty of those.
01:17I love comedy, but what are you going to do to make it so, you know, the fact that Glenn's kind of playing these two different people and that it's, you know, people love a good comeback story, right?
01:30He kind of makes some mistakes and he finds a way to try to make it right and get back in it.
01:34And he went for it also.
01:36Glenn hired a quarterback's coach.
01:41He had kind of different people that kind of helped him along the way.
01:44He's a good athlete, you know, I mean, I've watched a lot of film of Glenn Powell with his coach, like working on his footwork in his hands.
01:54So that's my role as an executive producer.
01:56So, yeah, I appreciate these artists and actors and how hard they work and you try to do it right.
02:02I mean, Steve Zahn spent a day with Kentucky's head coach, Mark Stoops, kind of, hey, show me how to be a head coach.
02:09You know, the mascot spent time at University of Tennessee learning about it.
02:13So, like I said, like if you're going to do something, let's go full speed ahead and do it.
02:17And that's why we're here.
02:19What did you think we talked about in the first episode?
02:21What's that? Oh, way better looking than Eli.
02:25I think it's just a reminder that, like, thank goodness it's Glenn Powell in this show and not Eli, man.
02:31I mean, watching Eli for eight minutes in that viral video, that's one thing.
02:35But, like, six episodes on Hulu, that's a lot of Eli.
02:38I mean, I stare at Eli every Monday night. It's hard.
02:40So, yeah, I think that's why I'm here, just to be sure that that's some last-minute change in Eli's.
02:46I mean, he has a cameo in this movie, but limited, which is good.
02:50So, I'm just glad it's Glenn. Glenn looks good no matter what he's in.
02:55And what do you, I mean, there's going to be national comparisons with Ted Lasso, I think, as much as it happened.
03:01Do you kind of feel like that?
03:03Look, I mean, I think that's a good thing, that there is a story, but it's different, certainly, and it involves different types of storytelling.
03:11I think Michael Waldron and Glenn did a great job working together on this, and I'm happy how it came out.
03:19I hope people enjoy it as much as I have.
03:21It is, yeah. Certainly we are. It's certainly a hard space to get into, which we've learned, and teaming up with the right people is a big part of it.
03:33And so you get Glenn and Michael, you get Hulu and the good folks at Disney involved.
03:37But, yeah, I guess you hope you show that if you can do something right the first time, maybe other doors open and come your way.
03:45But we don't take for granted that we're here and how fortunate to be a part of this, and we're hoping to continue to do more.
03:52But trying to do this one well would be the goal first.
03:55You're not for your comedic chops. Are you going to get on the screen at some point?
04:00I'm actually, somehow I got into the screen. It's coming out this fall. It wasn't really my intent.
04:09I'm all about, for our Monday night show, sometimes there's the give and the take. You come on my show, I'll do that.
04:16So I sort of, I'm not going to tell you what it is, but I got into a movie hoping that the guy I got into it with comes on our show.
04:23He hasn't promised to come on the show yet, which, that's why I did the movie. I thought it was. Maybe, maybe he won. Maybe he won the swap.
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