Peyton Manning knows how to mix football wisdom with a little Hollywood charm.
The NFL Hall of Famer, 49, hit the red carpet for the premiere of Hulu’s Chad Powers at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Thursday, September 25, where he opened up about coaching actor Glen Powell through his football scenes and teased the future of his hit Netflix series Quarterback.
When asked to rate Powell’s football skills, Manning didn’t quite hand out a Super Bowl trophy, but he was willing to give the actor, 36, some props.
“I wouldn’t book your ticket for the Super Bowl quite yet on Glen,” Manning exclusively told Us Weekly at the premiere. “I think he gets them in the playoffs. I think he needs some good linemen and good receivers to protect him back there and make some plays for him. But look, I’m a Glen fan. He went for it.”
He continued,“Everybody says, ‘How’s he looking?’ Glen looks beautiful. Whatever he’s wearing. And so I think people are going to really enjoy seeing him do it both ways and we were honored he was a part of this.”
Powell stars as the titular Chad Powers on the series, which is based on a sketch starring Manning’s younger brother, Eli Manning, that aired on his ESPN+ series, Eli’s Places, and produced by Peyton’s Omaha Productions.
Peyton explained that he and Eli, 44, helped coach Powell to prepare for the series.
“It’s more than a football show,” Peyton said. “It’s a comedy, it’s a redemption comeback story, but you do want the football part to look real. And Glen, I love the fact that he was asking questions. How do I call an audible? Where do I put my hands when I’m walking a line of scrimmage?’ He went far. And so I love the fact that a couple of things that Eli and I suggested he implemented and I feel like we got that part right.”
The project grew out of a viral sketch that Peyton never expected to become a full series.
“When that sketch came out, nobody knew we were going to be here,” he reflected.
Returning to the Rose Bowl also brought back memories for Peyton, who played his first college game there in 1994.
“If you would’ve told me back in 1994 when I was a freshman here in my very first game, that you’ll be back here 32 years later watching a show on Hulu about Chad Powers [I’d be like] ‘Whatever, get out of the way. You’re April Fool’s Day. I don’t believe you.,” he said. “So yeah, fun to be back. Special place, iconic place. I’m glad we’re here. Glad we’re doing it in a football environment, something different.”
Peyton also gave an update on Quarterback, the Netflix docuseries his Omaha Productions team created.
“Yeah, we’re always talking about it,” he said of season 3. “I love showing that there are different ways to play that position. Joe Burrow is just the coolest guy in every room. Kirk Cousins does it his way and Patrick Mahomes did it his way. So yeah, we’re always looking to try to find different guys. Even if they don’t win the Super Bowl, let other people fall in love with you by how you go about your business.”
He added that he’s open to more NFL-related docuseries in the future. “We’d love to continue to do that as well,” he said.
When Powell was told about Peyton rating him as good enough to reach the NFL playoffs, Powell fought back.
“Peyton said that?” he asked Us at the premiere. “Peyton has no idea what he’s talking about.”
Powell continued, “No, he’s a good coach. He was always there to just make sure that I won at every turn, and that was really, really fun. Look, it’s hard to pull off being a quarterback. It really is. It’s one of the most technical positions in any sport out there. And the fact that I had the two best quarterbacks maybe of all time as my personal quarterback coaches is pretty crazy.”
As for the message behind the comeback-driven series, Powell said it resonates beyond football.
“Surround yourself with people who are patient, elegant and graceful,” he said. “Who root for you and that don’t kick you while you’re down.”
Chad Powers premieres September 30 on Hulu.