In 2019, GQ launched its landmark “New Masculinity” issue and now, six years later (and in Trump’s second administration), GQ is releasing a special issue as a follow-up for a pulse check on where we are in the country.
Featuring Glen Powell as the cover star, the special issue, “The State of the American Male in 2025,” explores wide-ranging topics facing American men, reveals findings on issues that divide men in today’s society, features interviews with high-profile men across areas spanning from politics to fashion, and even offers guidance on a modern man’s guide to existing in today’s world.
Powell, on how he sees himself differently from Hollywood’s typecast of him…
“I’ve never been Mr Cool. And what’s funny is that you start getting cast in certain things–like Hangman is not me, right? I’m not that guy.”
“That’s the funny part about Hollywood. You can’t really choose it. People have to cast you in these movies. And I think what I started realizing is that people got enjoyment out of watching me be really cocky and confident.”
On facing adversity in the industry and not hiding his feelings…
“You’re human and you’re sensitive, and life comes at you hard. I think it’s really important, when you get hit in the face and you’re bleeding and your nose may be broken, you’ve got to take stock and say, ‘Okay, let’s reassess. How do I get my hands up next time?’
“That’s where I feel like vulnerability is the greatest sense of masculinity. Not acting like nothing hurts and not trying to act like that journey is painless.”
On how Tom Cruise changed how Powell approached preparing for roles…
“I went from going, ‘Oh, I’m an actor on a movie,’ to ‘I’m a high-performance athlete. And I’m just very lucky that I have someone like Tom who I could literally go, ‘Hey, what do I do to survive something?’
On masculinity and vulnerability…
“I just find that it’s cool and tough to be open and vulnerable, and maybe that’s just where it comes from with my family, but my family’s all on the table and no one ever judges you for it.”
On the evolution of manhood in Hollywood…
“Speaking of masculinity, I feel like that is one of those things, the health and wellness thing, that used to not feel like guys’ owning that space as much. And I do feel like the tide is gonna turn on that, where it’s a space that I’ve been really interested in for a while, but I feel like it’s also now becoming a little bit more in vogue. When I go back to LA, when I socialize and bring guys together, instead of just going, ‘Hey, let’s all go grab a drink,’ a lot of times I’ll just bring ’em all to a sauna and I’ll just load all my buddies in a sauna. And everybody appreciates it. Go sauna and cold plunge together.”
On feeling the same excitement for his roles as the audience feels watching him…
“Like Tyler Owens in Twisters, it’s like, who doesn’t want to be the guy that drives a truck towards something that can kill him? Understanding the science and the romance behind it, and also having a crew of buddies that you’re hauling ass across the Plains in a truck. There’s a sense of: That’s a modern cowboy. There was something about that that was like: Who doesn’t want to be that guy?”
[Photo Credit: Bobby Doherty/GQ]
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