Glen Powell was embarrassed returning to school after TV show elimination

Glen Powell was humiliated returning to school after failing the first challenge in the TV competition series Endurance 2.

Before he became famous, the Top: Gun Maverick star appeared as a contestant on Endurance 2, a children's competition series similar to Survivor, when he was 14 years old.

In the first episode, Powell and his fellow contestants had to hold onto a metal bar above their heads while standing on a platform in the ocean. The first three boys to hit the water were immediately eliminated - and Powell was sent home after the first challenge.

Reflecting on the experience, he told The Hollywood Reporter, "I mean, it's the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a freshman in high school. Not only are you the runt of the grade, but you just failed on a strength performance thing in front of the world, and the amount of s**t that I got was extraordinary."

Instead of letting the taunts get to him, the 35-year-old let the criticism fuel him as he bulked up and became physically fit, thinking, "I'll show them."

He added, "It made me just ferocious, like, 'I'm going to become the strongest motherf**ker ever,' and weirdly more dialled-in in every aspect of my life."

Powell's new movie Hit Man will be released on Netflix on 7 June.