Glen Powell Interview for Ben Richards in The Running Man
Glen Powell is starring in his biggest role yet as Ben Richards in Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man. The story follows Ben, a father desperate to obtain medicine for his sick daughter, who ends up on a deadly game show where he must run for his life.
Character Contrast: Glen Powell vs. Ben Richards
In our conversation, Powell highlighted a key difference between himself and his character. Unlike Powell, who experiences social anxiety and often second-guesses interactions, Ben Richards does not seem to care what others think about him—except for his wife and daughter.
“Every time you play a character, you take aspects from that character. You say ‘okay, these are things I’ll leave at the door and these are things I’ll take.’ And I love the candor of Ben. I love how he kind of cuts through the bs. He just kind of says what he means,” Powell explained.
Reflection on Honesty and Authenticity
Powell admires Ben’s straightforwardness and honesty. He appreciates how Ben thrives by shedding concern for public opinion and cutting directly to the point in his interactions.
Additional Insight from Powell’s Podcast Appearance
Powell recently discussed his own social anxiety in an interview with Jake Shane on the Therapuss podcast, where he shared the challenges of leaving an event and overthinking conversations—qualities that contrast sharply with Ben Richards’ character.
Author’s summary: Glen Powell embraces the role of Ben Richards by embodying the character’s unapologetic honesty, contrasting with his own social anxiety and second-guessing nature.