Glen Powell, star of upcoming film The Running Man, which tests his physical limits, said mentor Tom Cruise was his first call when he got the part.
The Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible powerhouse is “a guy that doesn’t hide his excitement about what this all means. You know, the theatrical experience and working hard and investing and putting your body on the line to entertain audiences. So when I was cast, Tom was my first call … to learn how to run. He said, ‘Film yourself running as soon as possible. You don’t look as cool as you think.’ And we did.”
“And, as you talk to these running coaches [they say] there’s, like, only one actor that knows how to run on screen. It’s Tom Cruise.”
Powell joined filmmaker Edgar Wright and cast mates Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo at CinemaCon’s annual Creative Community Luncheon to celebrate the new film based on the 1982 novel by Stephen King. It’s set for a Nov. 7 release by Paramount Pictures. First footage unveiled at Par’s presentation this morning electrified the Colosseum full of theater owners at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
Powell runs, a lot, in the chase thriller set in a dystopian, totalitarian America. He plays Ben Richards, a desperate man who become a contestant on violent TV reality show called The Running Man, hoping to win enough cash to be able to treat his gravely ill daughter. The show follows Richards pounding the pavement in every shot as he is violently hunted.
“When that camera rolls between action and cut, you have one shot to give it all you’ve got for an audience to be thrilled all around the world, and it’s a really big responsibility. It’s really cool. It’s one that I didn’t take lightly. So look, I don’t have the insurance plan to be Tom Cruise. I’m not trying to be Tom Cruise, but I will say I learned so much from him on how to properly do an action movie.”
Cruise himself was back at CinemaCon with Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning.
Powell also falls through ceilings, plunges into sewers, jumps clear of explosions. “I knew we were going to be shooting a lot of practical stunts on this movie, and I definitely got in what I call bulletproof shape, just knowing I was going to have to take some hits. But I don’t think I fully prepped myself for what we tackled on this one,” Powell said.
“But it really, it really works for the audience. Because you know when you’re falling and you’re hitting the ground and you’re really doing it, the audience feels that. You know, when the explosions are real and you’re jumping through it, it’s a different sort of experience. The audience invests more.”