Glen Powell Interview for Ben Richards in The Running Man [EXCLUSIVE]

Glen Powell Interview for Ben Richards in The Running Man

We spoke with Glen Powell about his upcoming film The Running Man and the honesty of Ben Richards as a character. Powell is starring in his biggest role yet, playing Ben Richards in Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Stephen King's story.

The film follows Ben, a father desperate to obtain medicine for his sick daughter, who ends up forced to compete in a deadly game show where he must run for his life.

Ben Richards vs. Glen Powell

One striking difference between Ben Richards and Glen Powell is how Ben doesn't seem to care what others think about him. Powell recently discussed social anxiety on Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast, describing the experience of leaving events and second-guessing conversations. In contrast, Ben Richards, except when it comes to his wife and daughter, appears unconcerned with others' opinions.

Powell on Playing Ben Richards

“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 said.

This honesty and straightforwardness are qualities Powell embraced when portraying Ben Richards.

Summary

Glen Powell values Ben Richards's unfiltered honesty, which helped him approach his most challenging role yet in The Running Man.

The Mary Sue — 2025-11-06