Overview
- Powell recalled meeting Hoffman during his first week in Hollywood, where the veteran actor said he had seen him in The Great Debaters and praised his work.
- A few days later, Hoffman invited Powell to his office to read, but Powell said he was so starstruck that he watched “the life drain” from Hoffman's eyes.
- Powell said he could feel the opportunity slipping away in real time and left the meeting feeling “so defeated.”
- Reflecting on the moment, Powell said he later learned to treat even revered performers as creative partners and to keep the work playful.
- The anecdote aired Nov. 13 on Hot Ones as Powell promoted The Running Man, which opens in theaters Nov. 14 as an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 book.