When you see Edgar Wright's adaptation of The Running Man, you'll notice that lead actor Glen Powell's Ben Richards is not as rough around the edges as the character Stephen King originally wrote.
That may be Powell's fault, who has natural charisma that is undeniable. In the book, Richards is more like Rick Deckard than Bruce Springsteen, another working class hero.
Speaking to ClutchPoints at the junket for The Running Man, Wright conceded that this subtle change to Richards' character was in the script, but some of it was due to Powell's natural charm and relatability.
“It was in the script, but what's great about Glen playing the role is that Glen is so naturally charming and relatable,” Wright praised. “We used to call it ‘bad mood Glen,' because obviously, Ben Richards is a character who has a lot of righteous anger; he's somebody who kind of stands up to bullies and stands up for injustice to himself and others and gets punished for it.
“There's a feeling at the start of the film that he's been somebody [who's] been held back in life for doing the right thing. And seeing Glen portray that was really powerful and exciting to me,” Wright continued.
Glen Powell approached The Running Man like any other movie
For Powell, he approaches every role the same, whether that be Ben Richards in an action flick like The Running Man or the romantic lead (alongside Sydney Sweeney) in Anyone but You.
He gravitates towards movies that “have a real heartbeat.” So, you can keep your giant set pieces and bombastic action sequences if there's no heart at the center of it all.
Richards, a man who — like Wright said — is punished for standing up for what's right, fits the mold for Powell.
“[In] the movies that I love,” he explained, “I always find that big action is sort of meaningless unless you have a real heartbeat. At the center of the story, a real human component that has a universal heartbeat that we can all agree on, [we can] all follow, and that we can]] all enjoy.”
Ultimately, Richards is just trying to provide for his family (that's why he takes part in the Running Man show).
“The great ingredients of this movie on an emotional level [are] that you have a guy who is just trying to provide for his family,” said Powell. “There's a system that's pushed him down, [and] he's not able to provide for his family. His daughter's extremely sick, [and she] may die.”
That leaves Richards with no choice but to join the Running Man — a reality show where a contestant is on the run for 30 days. If they somehow survive (which no one has done), they win $1 billion. It's not something he wants to do — in one of the first lines in the movie, Richards reassures his daughter that he's not “that crazy” — but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Glen Powell “loves playing pretend”
While not every character is created equal, Powell has a knack for playing those who need disguises. In Hit Man, Powell's character goes undercover for the police.
Then, in Chad Powers, Powell plays a disgraced college quarterback. He attempts to walk on at a struggling Southern college football program under prosthetics, taking on the Chad Powers alias.
Perhaps the most subtle character who uses disguises is Richards. It's a temporary thing, really, as he tries to disguise himself in the early part of the hunt. His disguises include a Catholic priest, complete with an excellent accent.
This just happens to be a coincidence among his most famous roles. In turn, it's easy for him to differentiate the various aliases his characters go by.
“I don't think there's any overlap in terms of accents or characters in this movie, but I think it is probably an indication that I do love playing pretend,” said Powell of his disguised characters. “It was always part of Stephen King's world.
“It's not something I necessarily chase, but it's something I enjoy doing,” he concluded.
His co-star praised him, too
His co-star, Lee Pace, told ClutchPoints that Powell being his co-star helps him “get swept up in” the moment. It added to the intensity of their fight scenes.
“It makes your job thrilling,” said Pace. “No one is watching a fight scene for the choreography, right? What you're watching for is to watch these characters somehow survive; you wanna watch that battle play out. You wanna see them hurt — you wanna see them win because you understand their point of view. You wanna feel something.
“That's one of the things that we tried to achieve with this fight. You want to know these characters, and you want to see them fight their corner,” he continued.
The Running Man will be released on Nov. 14.
