Actor Drew Powell's best day ever in Indianapolis
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Powell at Rev, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo: Courtesy of IU Health
Drew Powell, a native Hoosier who's been making a name for himself in Hollywood for the past two decades, was back in Central Indiana last weekend to support the IU Health Foundation at its annual fundraiser gala Rev.
Driving the news: Powell, who just finished a powerful storyline as Doug Driscoll on the hit show "The Pitt," starred in "Gotham" for four seasons and had guest appearances on "The Office," "Grey's Anatomy," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and more.
Zoom in: Before Powell returned home to L.A., we asked the Lebanon High School graduate how he'd spend his Best Day Ever in the Circle City.
🥯 Breakfast: A pershing and glazed donut from Titus Bakery — a Lebanon original.
- "Everyone wants to talk about Long's," Powell said, "but that's not where it's at."
🚲 Morning activity: A bike ride on the Monon Trail in Hamilton County, where his parents now live.
- "We did this a lot during COVID," he said.
🥪 Lunch: Patachou, for the chicken salad sandwich.
🚤 Afternoon activity: Taking a boat out on Geist or Morse Reservoir for a little tubing and water skiing.
🖼️ Second afternoon activity: Popping into Newfields for a bite in the museum cafe and a look at the Robert Indiana "LOVE" sculpture, something special to Powell's family.
- Powell said he's been going to the museum since he was a kid, and it may or may not be where he learned what happens when you open an emergency exit door.
⚾️ Evening activity: Baseball game at Victory Field.
- "Or Pacers, or Colts. Fill in the blank for whatever season it is," said Powell, a huge Indy sports supporter. He said keeping up with Indy sports has helped him feel connected to his Hoosier roots while living in L.A.
🥃 Dinner: St. Elmo Steak House
- "And I'm having one of those cherry coke things," Powell said, referencing the restaurant's signature "Elmo Cola," which mixes a glass-bottled Coke with its own St. Elmo cherry vanilla whiskey and drunken cherries.
🎸 After dinner activity: After dinner, Powell's running back up to HamCo to catch the encore of a Dave Matthews Band show at Ruoff Music Center… er, Deer Creek.
- "One of my favorite places in Indy is Deer Creek," he said. "It'll always be Deer Creek to me, don't give me any of this bullshit Ruoff, or whatever."
What's next: Powell just finished filming for the four-episode reboot of "Malcolm in the Middle," set to air on Disney+ later this year.
- He played the recurring character Cadet Drew in seasons 1 and 2 of the show's original run — his first TV role.
- "It was this cool full circle moment," he said of rejoining the cast for the reboot.