Glen Powell’s latest role has sparked a wave of nostalgia, with his performance in Hulu’s Chad Powers drawing comparisons to Robin Williams’ Mrs. Doubtfire. Rather than shy away from the parallels, Powell is embracing them, calling the late comedian a major inspiration while explaining what sets his football comedy apart.
Glen Powell discusses comparisons between Chad Powers and Mrs. Doubtfire
Powell stars as Russ Holliday in Chad Powers, a former college football star whose career crashes after a public blunder. Years later, he tries for a comeback by going undercover and joining the struggling South Georgia Catfish football team under the fake name Chad Powers. The heavy prosthetics and full-on transformation naturally had people drawing comparisons to Robin Williams’ 1993 classic Mrs. Doubtfire.
In the movie. Williams famously used layers of makeup to play a completely different persona. On the red carpet before the 2026 Golden Globes, Powell addressed the comparison with plenty of respect. Powell said to E!, “Robin Williams was one of the greats. He really made movies that were fun in terms of the joy they gave people, but they also had a lot of heart. He figured out that duality (via People).”
While Chad Powers is packed with laughs, the show isn’t just about jokes or clever disguises. At its core, it’s a story about redemption, humility, and the intense pressure athletes face when their careers crash in the public eye. Unlike Mrs. Doubtfire, where the disguise keeps a dad close to his family, Powell’s character hides his identity as a last-ditch effort to reclaim his self-worth and rebuild his life through football.
The character has a pretty unique backstory. Chad Powers was originally created by former NFL quarterback Eli Manning. He famously went undercover with prosthetics in ESPN’s 2022 docuseries Eli’s Places. He posed as a walk-on quarterback to see how far he could get without being recognized. Powell told Good Morning America that the Hulu series takes that idea further.
