Glen Powell has admitted that the meanest prank he has ever pulled involved his younger sister and a very convincing assist from Joe Jonas.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at a special Los Angeles screening of his new dark comedy, How to Make a Killing, Powell was asked about the most mischievous thing he has ever done to a family member.
The question struck a chord, given the film’s themes of family scheming, and prompted him to share a story he now admits went a bit too far.
“I did … a prank phone call on my sister [Leslie] with Joe Jonas of getting arrested, and my sister literally was searching in every jail in Georgia for the two of us,” Powell, 37, said.
The prank dates back to his time working with Jonas on the 2022 war film Devotion, which also starred Jonathan Majors.
Powell explained that Jonas managed to make the call sound alarmingly real by using technology that mimicked a collect call from jail.
“Joe figured out a way to get, I think it was on like Google Translate, for it to sound like a jail was calling my sister for a collect call,” he said.
“My sister accepted the call, and I basically just pretended like Joe and I hit somebody in a golf cart and that we needed to be bailed out.”
Powell said his sister reacted immediately and with complete seriousness.
After he ended the call, she began searching through every jail in Georgia to try to locate them. Looking back, he described her response as both touching and a lesson learned.
“It was very sweet of her. It showed the dedication that my sister has to me,” he said, adding that he would never pull a prank like that on her again. “She’s too sweet.”
Leslie Powell, 33, is the youngest of the Powell siblings and has built a solid career as a musician, with her work appearing across television, films and commercials.
She has also contributed to the scores of several projects starring her brother, including Twisters and Anyone But You.
While Glen may enjoy joking around, he has consistently spoken highly of Leslie’s talent.
In a past interview, he called her “no doubt my favourite artist of all,” adding, “Nothing puts me in a better mood than [Leslie’s] music. Remember the name. She’s a star.”
The siblings are also close with their older sister, Lauren Powell, 39, who lives near Glen in Texas and is the mother of his four nieces and nephews.
In a 2023 interview, Powell shared that the family often comes together at their ranch in East Texas, describing those gatherings as “magical.”
As for revenge, Powell confirmed his sister did eventually get even, joking that she was more than ready to return the favour.
How to Make a Killing is set to arrive in cinemas on 20 February.
