Glen Powell is opening up about his role in the new remake of The Running Man, focusing on how important it was for him to get Arnold Schwarzenegger’s endorsement before production began. This connection was crucial to Powell, given Schwarzenegger’s iconic association with the original film.
Powell explained the significance of Arnold’s blessing for the project, emphasizing his respect for the legacy of Schwarzenegger’s career and the challenge of stepping into a role previously defined by the former action star.
Powell’s Preparation and Respect for the Source Material
Powell plays Ben Richards, a contestant forced to survive a dangerous, televised competition where assassins hunt the participants for 30 days. He describes the remake as being more faithful to the Stephen King novel than the original movie adaptation.
In preparing for the demanding physical role, Powell stressed how intense and continuous the filming was, requiring rigorous training to endure the challenges of the movie’s relentless pace.
Behind-the-Scenes Support from Director and Arnold Schwarzenegger
Powell recounted collaborating with director Edgar Wright, sharing that they even held a FaceTime session with Arnold Schwarzenegger to showcase the film in progress. Arnold has remained supportive throughout, which Powell found encouraging as he prepared to fill the role in a fresh way.
Glen Powell Reflects on His Growing Career and Upcoming Projects
Having appeared in movies like Maverick and Anyone But You, Powell described his career as exciting and fulfilling. Working alongside esteemed filmmakers and being part of meaningful stories motivates him and gives him opportunities to truly engage in the work he loves.
He expressed enthusiasm about stepping into hosting duties for Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the first time, calling it a dream come true and a meaningful milestone given the show’s importance to his family’s past.
Powell’s Thoughts on Future Roles and Projects
When asked about the possibility of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Powell was open but noncommittal, noting that while there isn’t a particular hero he is eager to portray, the opportunity could still arise down the line.
The Running Man remake is scheduled for release on November 4.
“It was really important to me. I mean, obviously, this is part of Arnold’s incredible career, you know, and this was when Arnold was really, you know, on his run and taking on ‘The Running Man’ was pretty cool… To fill that ‘Running Man’ suit in a little different way, it was pretty special, but I just wanted to get his blessing.” ? Glen Powell, Actor
“Edgar [Wright] and I watched a movie and we FaceTimed with Arnold. I got to show Arnold, I think, tomorrow the movie, which I’m really excited about… He’s just been supportive.” ? Glen Powell, Actor
“The movie, it is relentless. It is nonstop, so you got to put your body through a real crucible to survive it, and we definitely needed every bit of training we had.” ? Glen Powell, Actor
“The fact that I get to be in situations like this and work with world-class filmmakers on stories I really care about and get to do the stuff for real, it’s a dream come true.” ? Glen Powell, Actor
“There’s nothing like probably higher on my [bucket] list than ‘SNL,’ truly. I’ve grown up watching ‘SNL.’ My family, we watched all those box sets of every single great performer that’s been on the show. It was sort of like this wonderful thing that my dad, you know, I think it’s premiered when he was in college and it meant so much to him and it meant so much to my mom, my whole family… the fact that I get to bring a bunch of my friends to the show… I’m just ready to have some fun.” ? Glen Powell, Actor
“There’s not like a hero that I’d love to occupy necessarily, but you never know.” ? Glen Powell, Actor
