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Watch Saturday Night Live Saturdays at 11:30/10:30c on NBC and next day on Peacock.
Has any piece of cinema ever boasted such an impressive, culturally-important cast? No, not Oppenheimer. Not Wicked, either. We speak here of the 2003 Robert Rodriguez-directed film Spy Kids 3: Game Over, AKA Spy Kids 3-D. While the third entry in Rodriguez’s franchise may not be in the Criterion Collection, it remains notable for at least one reason: The Spy Kids 3 cast features nine people who have hosted Saturday Night Live more than once — and, as of Glen Powell’s November 15 episode, ten.
Before Powell starred in movies like Twisters, Anyone But You, and The Running Man and shows like Chad Powers, he got his first big break in Spy Kids 3. He was just 12 years old when he auditioned, the actor told Hollywood Insider in 2024, and during his final callback he read in front of Rodriguez. By Powell’s account, despite being too young to play the part he was out for, he landed “the ruler of the Arena of Misfortune, also called ‘the Long-fingered Boy.”
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“And that was the role that changed my life, ’cause it really kickstarted my love of movies,” Powell added. It was the first step on the long road to Glen Powell’s current leading-man status. But again, even more importantly, it placed Powell in the hyper-niche club of Once and Future SNL Hosts Who Appeared in Spy Kids 3.
Glen Powell joins Spy Kids 3 costars Antonio Banderas, Steve Buscemi, and Selena Gomez
Powell is hosting SNL for his first time following a cameo in Sydney Sweeney’s Season 49 episode. It’s a milestone he couldn’t have predicted he’d one day share with the following people who acted, however briefly, in Spy Kids 3: Game Over.
- Selena Gomez (hosted on May 14, 2022)
- Antonio Banderas (hosted on April 8, 2006)
- Steve Buscemi (hosted on April 4, 1998 and December 3, 2011)
- Salma Hayek (hosted on March 15, 2003)
- Alan Cumming (hosted on February 5, 2000)
- Bill Paxton (hosted on January 9, 1999)
- Sylvester Stallone (hosted on September 27, 1997)
- George Clooney (hosted on February 25, 1995)
- Elijah Wood (hosted on December 13, 2003)
Actor Danny Trejo, who played Machete (and later reprised the role in Robert Rodriguez’s Machete movies), has never hosted SNL. However, there is an entire SNL short called “Danny Trejo Song,” in which Pete Davidson rapped about the Mexican-American actor’s iconic career.
Forget “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”; all SNL roads evidently lead back to Spy Kids 3.
Stream sketches from all the above SNL episodes on Peacock anytime.
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Glen Powell began appearing in TV and movies in 2003
Powell’s big-screen debut opened the door for appearances in projects like the miniseries Into the West, and guest roles on early and mid-2000s shows Without a Trace, CSI: Miami, and Rizzoli & Isles.
He began landing more prominent parts around 2014, playing Thorn in The Expendables 3 before introducing audiences to his comic timing in Season 1 of Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens with Nick Jonas, Keke Palmer, and Ariana Grande (all of whom have also hosted SNL!).
In 2016, Powell’s movie career truly took off with roles in Richard Linklater’s film Everybody Wants Some!! and Hidden Figures, in which he played astronaut John Glenn. He followed those with British ensemble film The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, romcom Set It Up, and major movie roles in Top Gun: Maverick (alongside November 1 SNL Host Miles Teller), Hit Man, Anyone But You, and Twisters.
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Powell’s also lent his voice to animated projects like The Bad Guys, All Hail King Julien, and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. In 2025, he’s continued his red-hot streak with the TV series Chad Powers and a big-screen remake of The Running Man.
Watch Glen Powell make his SNL hosting debut on November 15
Don’t miss Host Glen Powell with Musical Guest Olivia Dean on the November 15 episode of Saturday Night Live, at 11:30 ET/10:30 CT/8:30 PT on NBC and Peacock. If you’ve seen Hit Man (or Spy Kids 3), you know he’s got the range.
