Playing Glen Powells coaches in Chad Powers wasnt easy, stars from the new Disney+ show admit it was definitely a challenge'

Date:
Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Description:
Chad Powers stars Perry Mattfeld and Quentin Plair discuss their characters and reveal where they want their stories to go in the new Disney+ show.

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Its been a matter of days since the new sports-comedy series Chad Powers debuted on Hulu in the US Disney+ globally, and already the show is climbing the streaming charts.

The new Disney+ show sees Glen Powell star as disgraced football star Russ Holliday, who goes undercover on a college football team as Chad Powers to revive his superstar career. The show is a masterful balance of comedy and drama, but it's actors like Perry Mattfeld and Quentin Plair that bring it to life.

Mattfeld stars as Ricky, the assistant coach and daughter of the teams head coach Jake Hudson, who's played by Steve Zahn. Meanwhile, standing on the sidelines alongside her is Plair as Coach Byrd. Both are integral to running the college football team, and I was luckily enough to speak with them both about their respective journeys from script to screen.

From their individual research methods to dissecting the vulnerabilities beneath their characters, Mattfeld and Plair dont hold back revealing all
the details behind their approaches to preparing for their roles they even share their hopes for the future of their characters in the world of Chad Powers . Research is key Mattfeld shares how spending time at NFL training camps helped her mould the character Ricky (Image credit: Hulu )

When theyre on the pitch, Mattfeld and Plair are forces to be reckoned with
as Ricky and Coach Byrd, but they didnt pluck their characters out of thin air a lot of research went into it.

For Mattfeld, it was quite hands-on. Luckily I had the chance to talk to
quite a few different women in sports before filming, she said. I also spent some time at different NFL training camps." However, it wasnt just the
players she observed, instead she looked for the finer details. I was
focussed on the coaches and watching the sideline and taking notes. How do they stand? Whos chewing gum? Whos on their phone? I tried to pick up on as much of the coaching culture as I could.

In Plairs case, it was his own background in sports that was the key to unlocking coach Byrd, revealing that he "had a couple of coaches that (he) pulled from (his) college days a different approach to Mattfeld, but one
that resulted in an equal pay-off. I think that helps with the nuances because, obviously Im going to bring my own thing, but having people to spend time with really helped me formulate Coach Byrd, Plair said. Perry Mattfeld
is the quarterback whisperer Under her head-strong facade, Ricky is a vulnerable character with a lot of depth (Image credit: YouTube / Hulu)

Aside from being the coach's daughter, Ricky is her own unique person. Being
a woman in the male-dominated world of college football comes with its challenges, but her determination and ambition defies that. She just wanted
to make sure (she) did the right thing," Mattfeld said.

Indeed, there was a lot to nail down.She needs to be likable, but also really wants to be taken seriously and wants to be respecte, Mattfeld said. There were a lot of boxes to check and it was definitely a challenge. Im obviously going to hopefully still be challenged by Ricky, but Im also propped up by incredible writing and an incredible cast to be able to bounce off of.

One of Rickys most monumental lines in the show occurs in the very first episode when she tells Chad/Russ: "You decide who you want to be." This is a nod to Rickys own idea of happiness all of which will be unveiled as the episodes are released. "Everybody wants that second chance. Rickys a little scorned from what happened to her, and I think thats part of why she sees promise in Chad/ Russ. They have this really special, mutually beneficial friendship," Mattfeld said.

You can call her the quarterback whisperer, you can call her whatever you want, but I do think she has a key to making it all work. A small character, but with so much room for growth Mattfeld touches on the unique relationship between Ricky and Chad/ Russ (Image credit: Hulu)

Plairs coach Byrd who, like Ricky, assumes an important role on the team but the surface has barely been scratched with his character, which makes Plair optimistic that Byrd will blossom even more in future seasons.

Despite his brief appearances, Plair is very aware of what type of coach Byrd wants to be sharing. [He] really looks up to Coach Hudson, but in that, [he] sees some of the fallacy of the ways this job takes away from you. These coaches work tirelessly, and their families have to sacrifice [a lot], Plair said. Indeed, it's a harsh reality that the show executes authentically.

While a second season is yet to be confirmed, discussions around the shows future have already happened. Despite the uncertain status of season two, Plair knows exactly where he wants his character to go. Plair hopes that future seasons of Chad Powers will open the doors for Coach Byrd (left) to be explored further (Image credit: Hulu)

I want to explore Byrd making decisions of how to balance that and how to spend more time with his wife, not just show up at home late, and also come into his own a little bit, he said.

Just like Ricky, Byrd has his own vulnerabilities, which Plair believes is a vital part to explore in his character arc hes got a lot of insecurities about whether or not hes the right person for the job," Plair said. "Hes constantly looking over his shoulder, and Id like to see him step into that a bit.

Maybe thats where were going, maybe its not. I guess well just have to wait."

The first two episodes of Chad Powers are now streaming on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (internationally).

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And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. You might also like Chad Powers creator on comedy inspirations, larger-than-life heroes and the chances of Disney+ renewing the series Hulu gets a global launch as Disney+ reveals 3 big changes coming to your homescreen Jane Goodall wanted her lifes work to carry on, so start by streaming her groundbreaking Disney+ documentary



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