Glen Powell Begged Edgar Wright to Spotlight His Own Stunts in The Running Man

Taking a page from Tom Cruise’s playbook, Glen Powell begged Edgar Wright to shoot The Running Man so audiences can clearly see it’s him in the thick of the action, performing the stunts himself.

Glen Powell is back in action mode, and he is not hiding behind a stunt double. For Edgar Wright's The Running Man, the Top Gun: Maverick standout went straight to the source on how to survive this kind of movie: Tom Cruise. And then he asked Wright to make sure we actually see him take the hits.

Tom Cruise School of Doing It For Real

Powell told Entertainment Weekly that before he laced up for The Running Man, he called Cruise for advice. He figured he would get a quick five-minute pep talk. Instead, he got a two-hour masterclass on prep, safety, and how to build a performance around physicality. Cruise even handed over a step-by-step breakdown of how he approaches every film.

"If it is called The Running Man, you better show up ready to run."

That line stuck. Powell walked away with a playbook and a mandate: train like the title demands.

'If I am taking the punch, show my face'

On set, Powell pushed for proof. He begged Wright to frame the action so audiences can tell it is him, not a double, getting wrecked. He was getting tossed off roofs, launched over walls, and eating legit body shots to the gut — not the kind of day you want hidden in a wide shot.

His reasoning is simple: the entertainers he admires do not compromise. If you are going to do this job, you accept the bruises and the scars and you do not half-ass it. If he is taking a shot to the face, he wants you to know it is his face.

Who is making The Running Man (and who is hunting whom)

• Director: Edgar Wright, who also co-wrote the script with Michael Bacall
• Producers: Nira Park and Simon Kinberg
• Glen Powell leads the film
• Katy O'Brian (Love Lies Bleeding, reunited with Powell after Twisters) as a contestant
• Daniel Ezra (played Spencer James across 106 episodes of The CW's All American)
• Josh Brolin (Outer Range) as a TV executive who serves as the main villain
• Lee Pace (Halt and Catch Fire) as a ruthless hunter
• Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) as a naive rebel trying to help the desperate man
• Emilia Jones (CODA) as a privileged woman blind to the government's oppression
• David Zayas (Dexter) as a character named Richard Manuel
• Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead) as the host of The Running Man, a violent reality show dangling an outrageous cash prize
• Chi Lewis-Parry (28 Years Later), a 6-foot-8 actor and former MMA fighter, as a runner
• Jayme Lawson (Sinners) in an undisclosed role
• William H. Macy (Fargo, Boogie Nights) in an undisclosed role

The Running Man hits theaters on November 14. Given how hard Powell trained — and how much he wanted the camera to keep him honest — expect this one to wear its bruises proudly.