Silly Leading Men Are the Best

September 15, 2025

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Recently, Glen Powell’s wacky photoshoot for GQ, in which he sported massive, obviously fake muscles, received enormous attention. As he told the magazine in their October “State of the American Male” issue, his early years in the business consisted of navigating several casting types, which at that time favored the intense “brooder” of the Robert Pattinson Twilight variety. Stereotyped instead for years as the jock, with the new Hulu series Chad Powers, Powell seems to have comfortably settled into a different role, that of the “a little more silly” leading man of the Chris Pratt mold. But in contrast to the comedic male protagonists of yesteryear, the Silly Leading Man seems to combine both humor and a bit of muscularity—which may be a reason why he is so currently in demand.

A Modern Hero Who Kicks Butt…but Also Does Not Take Himself Too Seriously

Chris Pratt in The Electric State

Netflix

Having a funny leading man in a movie is not a new phenomenon. The likes of Bill Murray, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, and even Billy Crystal filled the 1980s with memorable cinematic roles as both the hero and main love interest for the female star. The 2000s saw this trend reappear, with Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Adam Sandler, and others proving that they could be funny, valiant, and a great catch. But the Chris Pratt version, who first appeared in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, was significantly different from those previous Silly Leading Man actors in one crucial way—like Glen Powell, Pratt, quite frankly, had abs. This was not the Chris Pratt who played lovable, slightly pudgy goof Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation. No, Pratt had clearly worked out very hard before taking on his role as Star-Lord in Guardians, but crucially, retained some silliness. It was a new cinematic paradigm that would see the likes Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, and Paul Rudd clearly showing off muscle tone while also being quick with wit.

That Ryan Reynolds, Paul Rudd, and Chris Pratt are all featured in MCU movies may be a clue as to what sparked the “Silly (Buff) Leading Man” trend. Many male protagonists in Marvel movies tend to be able to easily let out a wisecrack or two — and most are also somewhat ripped. Call it the “Marvel Effect,” where actors and actresses are generally expected to resemble the perfect specimens who grace the pages of the comic books themselves. This particular breed of leading man could be the perfect champion (especially for the starstruck women who watch the films): strong like a superhero but with a reassuring sense of humor, all glorified Andy Dwyers for a sea of notoriously picky April Ludgates who were sick of their moody and unpredictable Edward Cullens & Bruce Waynes. As Powell told GQ:

“I remember when Chris Pratt broke out in Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s no doubt it really helped—not being brooding or dark. Like, I’m not Christian Bale. Christian Bale has a gravitas and a weight, and Pattinson had his thing. And when Pratt kind of appeared on the scene where he was doing things that were a little more silly and buoyant, that’s where I feel most at home. And that’s where I feel like I had a gear that is a necessary flavor in terms of Hollywood, and not a gear that a lot of guys can play.”

Perhaps there is irony in the fact that as much as Glen Powell’s images for GQ look like a parody or even a critique of the musclebound jock ideal, they are actually more of a celebration of this current blend of movie hero and comedy relief as typified by Chris Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy. The inheritor of the Running Man role, from none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, Powell’s physique, despite the fake cartoonish muscles of the photo shoot, is still athletic and sinewy to a degree. Like Pratt, Ryan Reynolds, and Ryan Gosling, among others, he represents a character who is equipped to handle the rigors of herodom but does not take himself too seriously, perhaps the best of both worlds.