Eli Manning revealed during a PaleyLive panel in New York City on Sept. 3 that he once believed he would land the starring role in Hulu’s “Chad Powers” — the very character he created — before the part ultimately went to Glen Powell, People reported.
Manning, 45, originated the Chad Powers character in a 2022 viral sketch on his ESPN+ series “Eli’s Places,” donning a wig and prosthetics to go undercover at Penn State’s walk-on football tryouts. When Powell and showrunner Michael Waldron approached Manning about developing the bit into a full television series roughly five years ago, Manning said he assumed he would be the one stepping into the spotlight, not producing from behind the scenes.
“Michael and Glen, I remember four or five years ago… y’all called me up and told me y’all wanted to take Chad Powers to the big screen and make it a show,” Manning told the panel, which included Powell, Steve Zahn, Frankie A. Rodriguez and Waldron. “I thought I was going Hollywood,” he continued, drawing laughter from the audience. “Move the family out to L.A. I was becoming a big actor and famous, and be on the cover of PEOPLE Magazine… I was ready to go.”
Manning went on to jokingly ask Powell, 37, whether he ever feels “guilty” for “crushing” his Hollywood aspirations, a question Powell brushed off by suggesting the entire promotional tour has effectively become an ongoing apology to Manning.
In the series, which Powell co-created with Waldron and in which he also stars, Powell plays disgraced college quarterback Russ Holliday, who uses a disguise to rejoin football under the identity of Chad Powers. Manning and his brother Peyton serve as producers on the show through their production company, Omaha Productions. The panel was held to celebrate the launch of the show’s second season.