It’s well documented that Tom Cruise has acted as something of a mentor for Glen Powell after they starred together in Top Gun: Maverick back in 2022. But the Mission: Impossible star’s impact has never been quite so clear as in Edgar Wright’s new film The Running Man.
Powell takes on the lead role of Ben Richards – the character previously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the earlier 1987 film of the same name – and, as the title suggests, he gets plenty of opportunities to showcase some top-tier movie-star running.
Powell previously revealed that he had called up Cruise for some advice about running on camera and ended up having an over two-hour conversation with him that included some very helpful tips.
“He said, ‘You should film yourself running because you don’t look as cool as you think you do,” the Twisters and Anyone But You star told People. “He was so right!”
With than in mind, we were curious to find out if Powell had received any feedback on his on-screen sprinting now that Cruise has seen the movie, and so we put that question to the star when we spoke to him and Wright for an exclusive RadioTimes.com interview.
“You know what? Tom loved the movie, but I haven’t talked to him about my running form,” was his response. “I’ll get back to you on that one. I’m so desperate for his approval on the running!”
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“He’d be like in Strictly Ballroom at the end, you know like holding up the cards [with scores],” added Wright, making Powell chuckle.
Whatever he thinks about the running specifically, Cruise was clearly impressed with Powell’s performance and the film on the whole, with the Hollywood legend lavishing praise on the movie on social media after attending it’s London premiere last week.
“Another great night out with my friends at the movies!” he wrote. “You guys crushed it, congratulations! I laughed, was on the edge of my seat and ate way too much popcorn.”
The film is the second big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 novel – which the prolific writer published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman – following the aforementioned Schwarzenegger version, although this one adopts a different tone and is far more faithful to the source material.
The Running Man is released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 12th November.
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