Glen Powell wants Running Man audiences to know he got punched in the face: 'Don't wanna half-ass...

---

&34;There's a difference in the investment of an audience when they know it's you,&34; he says of doing his own stunts. Glen Powell wants Running Man audiences

"There's a difference in the investment of an audience when they know it's you," he says of doing his own stunts.

Glen Powell wants Running Man audiences to know he got punched in the face: 'Don't wanna half-ass it'

"There's a difference in the investment of an audience when they know it's you," he says of doing his own stunts.

By Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at ** with over 12 years of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry.

EW's editorial guidelines

October 9, 2025 1:00 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Glen Powell really wants you to know that's him taking shots to the face in *The Running Man*.

In the film (in theaters Nov. 14), Powell plays Ben Richards, an out-of-work father struggling to make ends meet in a future dystopian America. His daughter is sick, and he desperately needs money for her care, so he agrees to go on the deadly titular game show, where contestants have to run for their lives while everyone in the country tries to kill them.

The actor says it's "by far" his most physically demanding role to date, and in **'s latest *Behind the Cover* video series, he explains why it was important to him to do his own stunts. "There's a difference in the investment of an audience when they know it's you," he says. "You can always kind of tell when there's a double, the way they're cheating it, the way they're framing it is trying to hide the face."

Colman Domingo previews 'rollercoaster ride' of 'The Running Man'

Glen Powell and Edgar Wright take EW on the set of 'The Running Man' (exclusive)

Glen Powell for 's 'The Running Man' cover shoot.

Powell even begged director Edgar Wright to make it more obvious that he's getting his butt kicked. "There were times where Edgar would be shooting something, and I'm getting rocked. Like, I'm getting thrown over, like off of roofs, and over walls, and taking real punches to the gut. I'm like, 'Edgar, that looks like you're shooting it like there's a double. If I'm gonna be taking a shot to the face, please, please let them know it's me, that I'm putting my body on the line to entertain them.'"**

He continues, "That's the kind of entertainers I like, people that don't compromise on that, that they want to do it right. You leave with a couple bruises, you leave with some scars, but at the end of the day, that's what this job's about. You don't want to half-ass it."

This way of thinking comes courtesy of another famous stuntman, Powell's *Top Gun: Maverick* costar Tom Cruise. "That's my coach," Powell jokes of Cruise, whom the actor called for advice before setting foot on *The Running Man* set.

"My first call was to Tom," he says. "Tom Cruise is obviously one of the great actors of all time, but maybe the greatest stunt performer ever. And so, I just said, 'Hey, what do I need to know?'" Powell says he expected a five-minute conversation, and instead got a two-hour talk. "I have a breakdown of how he goes into every movie and the prep that you need to do," Powell says. "He's, like, 'Hey, if it's called *The Running Man*, you better show up ready to run.'"

Glen Powell as Ben Richards in 'The Running Man'.

Ross Ferguson/Paramount

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

For more with Powell on Cruise's advice, why working with Wright is like being in school "with the greatest film professor ever," and why every project he has coming up "scares the s--- out of" him, check out the full *Behind the Cover* video above, and read EW's cover story featuring Powell, Wright, and stars Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, and Lee Pace.

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Movies"

Read More

---

Source: GETTY MAG

Read More >> Full Article on Source: GETTY MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities