Glen Powell has found his weapon of choice: dancing.
The “Running Man” and “Chad Powers” star appeared in a promo Wednesday ahead of his “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut. In the video, Powell dances across the halls of 30 Rock while wearing a gray suit, white shirt and red tie — a clear homage to Christopher Walken’s appearance in the iconic “Weapon of Choice” music video.
Things end a bit worse for Powell than they did for Walken, however. At the end of the “SNL” promo, the actor attempts a front flip onto the “SNL” stage. It’s a move that ends with Powell being wheeled out of the room on a stretcher with a brace around his neck.
“Don’t. Tell. Lorne,” Powell pleads to Sarah Sherman and Andrew Dismukes. You can watch the promo (and the original music video) below:
The promo is a clear (and out-of-left-field) homage to Walken’s appearance in the music video for Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” featuring Bootsy Collins. In the early 2000s video (directed by “Her” filmmaker Spike Jonze), a despondent Walken sits in a lobby chair before rising to do a strange, silent and incredibly loose dance routine. The video ends with Walken leaping over a handrail and flying through the air — naturally.
Powell’s dance is a clear homage to the video, with the actor mimicking a few key moments from Walken’s routine. Obviously, his own attempt at flight doesn’t go quite so well.
Though Powell and Walken haven’t appeared in a project together, this isn’t the first time the “Twisters” star has shown admiration for the acting legend. In a 2024 profile of Powell, Washington Post reporter Sonia Rao tracked down the actor’s high school teacher, who shared some pieces Powell wrote in his creative writing class. One such piece was “A written ode to Christopher Walken” that “admires how the actor is ‘flawed to the point of perfection.’”
Glen Powell will host “SNL” this Saturday with musical guest Olivia Dean.
