Twisters star Glen Powell says his first-ever experience with a tornado occurred long before he took on the highly anticipated film’s role.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Powell recalled his first experience happened in 1997. He and his cousins were driving with one of his aunts near Jarrell, Texas when a category F5 touched down.
“I must have been like 8 or 9,” Glen Powell recalled. “We were almost a part of the Jarrell, Texas tornado. If anybody knows about the Jarrell, Texas tornado, it’s an F5, which is the biggest and largest tornado,”
Powell stated he and his family members were able to take shelter in a nearby store. “I remember looking at my aunt for guidance on how to feel,” he continued. “It’s something you don’t really forget. Obviously, as a Texas boy, growing up to go on and make Twisters, it’s a movie that as I watched as a kid, [it] really had a big impact on me ’cause it felt like a monster that was living in my backyard.”
According to the National Weather Service, an outbreak of tornadoes touched down in Central Texas on May 27. 1997. It was revealed that an F5 tore through the subdivision, Double Creek Estates, in Jarrell. The tornado grew to be 3/4 mile wide. Two F3 tornadoes and eight additional tornadoes (including the F5) touched down during the outbreak.
The outbreak of tornadoes killed 28 people (plus two indirectly) and injured 33.
Glen Powell Recently Discussed Crazy ‘Twisters’ Stunts
Glen Powell spoke to PEOPLE about the crazy stunts that he and the rest of the Twisters cast had to do on set. He recalled a jet engine he and his castmates with ice.
“I was shot with every jet engine and piece of debris that they could muster up in Oklahoma and dragged through the air and across the ground more than I was expecting,” Powell said. “I don’t even know if I know how to act without a giant jet engine blowing in my face anymore. It’s just everything I require now as a performer.”
Glen Powell also said that there’s always “a wonderful adrenaline build-up” on action movie sets. Twisters was definitely an experience he’ll never forget.
“On this one, it’s like, ‘Fans, dirt, debris, roll, action!’ You’re just like, ‘Oh my God,’” he said. “All of a sudden, the entire town around you is being ripped apart. It’s so intense but wonderful.”
Praising director Lee Issac Chung, Glen Powell said, the filmmaker didn’t take any “shortcuts” when it came to filming the action scenes.
“Lee is a filmmaker that says to his actors, ‘Hey, this may be a little painful. You’re probably going to look shell-shocked at the end of the day, but the audience is going to feel it in a different way,’” Powell added. “And that’s what makes this experience really special. And it’s going to be a real thrill ride for the audiences.”