Devotion's Glen Powell Felt 'Immense Pressure' To Get The Story Right
Glen Powell's frequent flyer miles are going through the roof. After helping save the day — and looking stupidly cool doing it — in "Top Gun: Maverick," he's set to take off again, this time as wingman to another star in the making, Jonathan Majors, with their upcoming action movie, "Devotion." Directed by J.D. Dillard, the film tells the true story of Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner and their friendship and camaraderie during the Korean War. Much of the plot is adapted from Adam Makos' book "Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice," which greatly details their partnership in the air and their dedication to one another.
There's always a lot riding on bringing a true story to life, but in the case of "Devotion," there was an added level of importance due to the specific creative forces that helped get the jet engine going. Dillard's father was a Naval aviator, and both of Majors' grandfathers are Korean War veterans, so making this a statement of reflection and respect for what came before was a top priority (via Vanity Fair). Powell also admitted that was a huge concern for him when joining the project and going up, up, and away. Again.
The legacy of Devotion led Powell to fight to get it made
Having already read Adam Makos' book before he joined the project, Glen Powell was fully invested in Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner's story and the weight that came with it. Speaking to /Film, the two-time filmic fly guy confessed, "I really care about this story so much, and I care about these families so much." This element of respect and appreciation added an extra layer of pressure to the film that Powell welcomed when it finally came to shooting. "When you look someone in the eyes, and you know that the legacy of their family members means so much, it does get you up every morning and cause you to fight to get this movie made."
Understandably, a film like this is guaranteed to hit some turbulence to ensure the story that eventually lands on the screen is good and sticks to the facts of the friendship found at its core. "I did have immense pressure on this movie to do the story and do it right, and I'm just glad that I got to keep that promise," Powell added. "But it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy." See how he and Jonathan Majors handle things when "Devotion" soars into theatres on November 23.