Glen Powell on the ‘beautiful ride’ that was ‘Twisters’ and co-stars who became friends

New Delhi: Caught in the middle of nowhere with little cell service and nothing to do, shooting for disaster movie “Twisters” became more than just about work, says lead star Glen Powell. It was about getting to know the “heart” of his co-stars.

And co-stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, who are now good friends, couldn’t agree more.

"We really were in the middle of nowhere. We are in trucks in the plains of Oklahoma with very little cell service and nothing to do except to get to know each other. And I know the heart of these people and we have such an amazing ensemble cast here,” Powell told PTI in a Zoom interview with Edgar-Jones and Ramos by his side.

“I find it's such a privilege to know them at this point in their career and get to cheer each other on… It was a beautiful ride," Powell added. What has stayed on is the time he got to spend with his co-stars, he said.

The Lee Isaac Chung directed “Twisters”, a sequel to the 1996 hit disaster movie about tornadoes starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, has already been well received by critics with many calling it the next big summer release.

In the film, releasing on July 18, Powell is Tyler Owens, a storm-chasing YouTube influencer, Edgar-Jones plays Kate Cooper, a meteorologist haunted by past trauma, and Ramos is her friend Javi.

According to Powell, who has gained global popularity with the success of "Anyone But You" and "Hitman", "Twisters" is a complex disaster movie that tests the human condition and who people are in the face of danger.

Ramos, a singer-actor who has featured in films such as “A Star Is Born” and “In the Heights”, said seeing Powell's career explode in the last few months has been awesome while Edgar-Jones, who shot to fame with the TV series "Normal People", has completely owned her first action role.

"It's amazing to see what's going on with Glen this summer… I went to his premiere at Sundance for ‘Hitman’ and that was just amazing. And then 'Anyone But You' and this one.

“It's awesome to see Daisy step into this action leading lady part, just crushing it… As an actor, you want your career to do a twist. We are in the middle of the storm in all our careers individually but I feel like it's an awesome storm to be in. We are all individually doing really cool stuff. And hopefully, we can grow with this film and this franchise, individually and together," Ramos told PTI.

Edgar-Jones said movie careers can be unpredictable but to work with "phenomenally talented" people like Powell and Ramos have helped her make "friends for life".

She said she is happy they got to make a film that will hopefully bring audiences back to the cinemas.

"There was this aim to try and make a film that would bring audiences back to cinema and try and make a film that felt nostalgic to those big movie blockbusters we used to flock to see on the big screen." Powell added that he got into movies because he had always been a huge fan of big blockbusters but over the years realised how difficult it is to make them.

"When something grows in size and scope, sometimes it loses its way emotionally. But our director Lee Isaac Chung really understands the complexity of humans... 'Twister', the original, is not just about facts, it is about a feeling and I think we capture that in this one and that's what people are responding to... It's very rare and nostalgic," he said.

The film is produced by Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and The Kennedy/Marshall Company. Warner Bros are also internationally distributing the movie.

"I think Spielberg really is the godfather of modern blockbusters just because he was able to have this sense of wonder," Powell said.

Ramos also counts Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” as a major influence while growing up along with films such as the “Rocky”, “Fast & Furious and “Harry Potter” franchise.

Edgar-Jones credited producers Spielberg and Frank Marshall and Lee, who also directed "Minari", for bringing nostalgia back.

"Because of that amazing team, this film really has that essence of an old blockbuster. It's shot on film, there is this nostalgia to the quality of the film when you watch it and you leave the cinema feeling the way I remember I used to as a kid.

"...Our film is a new chapter but there is so much of the old in it in essence. We've got little nods to the original. It's so cool to be part of that kind of history of just brilliant disaster movies that also have, like Glen said, phenomenal characters and real humans that are going through real things, facing real threats. It's not a superhero film in the best way. These people exist, these storm chasers and storms and tornadoes are real," she said.

For her, “Harry Potter”, “Hunger Games” and “Twilight” were the movies that people around her were excited about.

Powell said what’s special about big movies like "Harry Potter" is that they change your world view.

“I got to work with Bill Paxton years ago and he said after making 'Twister', he never looked at the sky the same way ever again. One part of making a movie like this is, it reorients your perspective on the world and your place in the world and I think there is something wonderful,” Powell added. PTI BK MIN MIN