Glen Powell at a premiere
(Hubert Vestil/Getty Images)

‘Welcome to the Justin Hartley lookalike contest’: The Glen Powell lookalike competition is the best one yet

The lookalike contests are taking over. If you were looking for who had the best one, look no further than Glen Powell! Taking place in Austin, Texas, the contest was judged by Glen Powell’s mother and the winner got a cameo in his next movie. That’s my guy!

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This trend has been my favorite since it started and the lack of awards really did make it hilarious. Timothée Chalamet’s got shut down by police and the winner go $50 dollars. That’s beyond funny to me. What I loved about the Glen Powell one is that the entire contest was rooted in Austin’s love for Powell. Born and raised there, he always brings his home town into his work and they shared their appreciation for that at the contest.

Prior to the contest, I spoke with one of the organizers, Kate Carpenter, and she shared that the group putting it together (comprised of Carpenter, Henry Long, Emma Swarts, Lucca Sgro, and Julia Kubiak) just wanted to share their appreciation for Powell. What ended up happening was one of the funniest turnouts of this entire trend.

First, Glen Powell’s mother, Cyndy Powell, and his aunt ended up judging the competition. Second, the winner got a year time supply of Torchy’s Tacos queso, and then Glen Powell himself announced via video that the winner could select a member of their family to be in his next movie. Imagine if you just showed up dressed like a celebrity and then got all of that plus a cowboy hat and “some money”?!

My favorite part is his mother judging the Glens though.

Many were joking about how these men really do look like Glen Powell. Pointing out that that is just the norm in Texas.

The winner, Max Braunstein, even FaceTimed Powell!

Good fun for a home town hero

Powell is currently filming The Running Man with Edgar Wright in the United Kingdom so he couldn’t join the festivities but he sent a video in. “Welcome to the Justin Hartley lookalike contest,” he joked at the start, referencing the fact that the two actors could play brothers. “In all seriousness, I’ve assembled you here today at Auditorium Shores for an important mission. I want to pull off a heist.”

The winner of the contest also ended up with city admiration, much like Powell has in his hometown. Which was what this was all about. When I spoke with Carpenter before the event, she said that it was just a joy to celebrate an actor who has done a lot for the Austin community.

“We’re excited to participate in a nationwide trend but also celebrate an incredible celebrity like Glen Powell who does a lot for the Austin community, who works really hard in his career, and is generally a really great person. So we’re really excited and I’m thankful for all the people who we’ve had buy into this from all the Glens that are going to be participating to influencers online, we’re thankful.”

What was great is that many of Powell’s movies were represented. At the other lookalike competitions, the most recent film typically dominated but the winner here was dressed as Jake “Hangman” Seresin from Top Gun: Maverick. That rules!

Honestly, this stuff is just very fun and I think Powell’s being a family affair is a testament to him as well as how much the city of Austin loves him.


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Rachel Leishman
Assistant Editor
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.