Glen Powell has warned Hollywood has become even more difficult for "struggling" actors.
The 'Top Gun: Maverick' actor was grateful in his 20s to land small bit parts in TV shows and movies because they could keep him "afloat" for lengthy periods of time but he doesn't think it's the same these days.
He told Vanity Fair magazine's Hollywood issue: "That’s the other interesting thing about this business right now—how much it’s changing. The business no longer supports struggling actors the way it did when I was kind of coming up. I would do an episode of 'NCIS', and that would keep me afloat for a year. You know what I mean?
"My overhead’s not high. You’re not living a lavish lifestyle. You’re hiding a flask in your boot if you go out for a drink. You’re not necessarily able to afford anything significant in that town, but you are able to stay there.
"Those little jobs, like getting a commercial, keep life in the system."
One such job for Glen was playing a stock trader in 2012's 'The Dark Knight Rises' and he will "never forget" how it felt walking on set for such a high-profile movie and how "validated" he felt when cast by director Christopher Nolan.
Asked what he remembered about the film, he said: "I remember everything. You never forget the feeling. It’s something I carry to every set I walk on now, which is just the reverence for being on a set in general.
"But I remember on 'Dark Knight Rises' the feeling of being able to walk onto a set and you knew everybody in the world wanted to be on that set, right?
"Even though it was a small role, I auditioned several times for it. I was getting to work with the greatest director on the planet, Christopher Nolan. And you’re sitting there and all of a sudden Tom Hardy walks in as Bane. It’s electric. It’s sort of out-of-body.
"That was one of those movies when nothing was going on in my life. I was just fighting for every inch.
"And when Christopher Nolan casts you in his movie, it’s a validation that’s hard to explain.
"And I’ve talked to Chris about this. We’ve run into each other at different things. I saw him during his amazing 'Oppenheimer' run, and he’s very proud that he plucked me early. I’m just very grateful that he took a shot."
