“It's ridiculous”: Chad Powers star Steve Zahn recalls breaking character while filming with Glen Powell

Viewers will soon be able to tune into a new sports comedy show on Hulu as Chad Powers is set to premiere on the streaming platform on September 30, 2025.

Starring Glen Powell, Steve Zahn, Perry Mattfeld, and others, Chad Powers is created by Powell and Michael Waldron. It is based on the life of former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who went undercover at Penn State Football’s tryouts.

Eli and his brother Peyton also serve as executive producers of the show. The series follows Chad Powers and the hilarious journey of Russ Holliday (Powell), an arrogant college football quarterback who tries to revive his career after ruining his reputation at a national championship game.

To come back into the game, Holliday disguises himself as Powers and tries to become a walk-on player for a struggling college team. He therefore dons a mustache, buck teeth, wig, and other prosthetics, which made co-actor Steve Zahn remark in an interview with PEOPLE that he often “broke” character when he saw Powell in prosthetics.

“I could barely keep my...I broke a lot with him. Oh, yeah, it’s ridiculous”,

Steve Zahn mentions. More on this below.

Steve Zahn talks about breaking character in front of Glen Powell and what he thinks about Chad Powers

Steve Zahn is known for movies and shows like Dallas Buyers Club, Stuart Little, and The White Lotus. In Chad Powers, the actor takes on the role of Jake Hudson, who is the coach of the struggling team in the show.

In an interview with PEOPLE at the show’s premiere at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on September 25, 2025, Zahn revealed that he often “broke” character while filming. He explained that he mostly saw Powell as Chad, so whenever he saw Powell on set, he would be taken aback.

“I could barely keep my...I broke a lot with him. Oh, yeah, it’s ridiculous,” Zahn remarks.

The actor also mentions that he found Powell’s performance to be “remarkable” in the show, and that the actor “was a joy to work with”. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Zahn revealed that during a shower scene, he couldn’t look at Powell’s Chad with a straight face and was therefore “looking at the floor.”

Zahn also recalls that when he read the script for Chad Powers, he wondered about how the show would “pull this off” as the prosthetics and the football had to look “real”. However, he now believes that the “show is awesome”.

Steve Zahn also prepared for his role as Coach Hudson by “shadowing” Mark Stoops, the head coach of the University of Kentucky Wildcats, the actor revealed in an interview.

Zahn states that it was “helpful” as people have a general idea of what a coach does, but “there’s a lot more to it,” he remarks. The actor mentions that he realized that college football is “big business” and student athletes are often under a lot of pressure.

More details about Chad Powers

The sports-comedy series is set to premiere on Hulu on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The first two episodes of the six-part series will be available immediately, with the remaining episodes releasing weekly. An active Hulu subscription will be required to watch in the U.S., while viewers outside the country can catch the show on Disney+.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Glen Powell states that playing the character of Holliday and Powers was “the most fun character” he had ever played. Creator Michael Waldron also mentioned that even though Chad had to look ugly, the “Glen-ness” comes to the fore, and viewers will end up loving the character of Chad.

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