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Even a legendary quarterback like New York Giants icon Eli Manning can be “rusty” when throwing a football, as he showed in his Chad Powers sketch that inspired Hulu’s series.
In The Hollywood Reporter’s latest cover story, they delve deep into the making of the Chad Powers series. The series, created by Powell and Michael Waldron, was based on Manning’s Chad Powers sketch from Eli’s Places. In the sketch, he disguised himself under prosthetics to participate in Penn State’s football walk-on tryouts.
At the time, Manning was a couple of years removed from his playing days, so he was “rusty,” according to the story. Once the disguise went on, Manning flipped the switch.
“I knew I wasn’t going to run a great 40 time,” he conceded. “I knew I wasn’t going to look real good. I’ve got the dad bod; I was 40 years old.”
Manning blew away the coaches and fellow players. The receivers trying out kept coming back to Manning since the other quarterback trying out was “not a great quarterback,” to Manning’s assessment.
“There was one other quarterback there trying out,” Manning remembered. “Sweet kid, not a great quarterback. And so, all these receivers trying out are coming to me.”
This broke the immersion for Manning. Suddenly, he was focused on helping the kids out, forgetting his task at hand. “They’re like, ‘Hey, Chad, I’m going to run a post … I’m going to run a post-corner, I’m going to run a comeback. They knew I could get it to them, and it might make them look good. At that point, I’m honestly like, ‘Hey, I can maybe help some of these guys make the team!’ I kind of forgot what I was there for, to play this role,” he continued.
Manning’s sketch caught Glen Powell’s eye. He praised Manning’s ability to improvise in The Hollywood Reporter’s story. “One of the things that really surprised me is Eli’s ability to improv,” praised Powell. “And there was a lot of weird heart in the character.”
The six-episode Hulu series will premiere on September 30, 2025. It takes the basic premise of Manning’s sketch to a new level. Powell plays Russ Holliday, a star quarterback who is kicked off his team. So, he has to put on prosthetics and pose as Chad Powers as he walks on at another football program.
The post How Eli Manning shook off the rust for OG Chad Powers skit appeared first on ClutchPoints.
