The new action thriller ‘The Runner‘, which was directed by Kevin Macdonald (‘The Last King of Scotland‘) and stars Gal Gadot (‘Wonder Woman‘) and Damian Lewis (‘Billions‘), debuts on Prime Video September 2nd.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gal Gadot about her work on ‘The Runner’, her first reaction to the screenplay, her character, the challenges of running and talking on the phone in a movie, and working with director Kevin Macdonald.
Gal Gadot attends Amazon MGM Studios ‘The Runner’ Los Angeles Premiere at Harmony Gold on Thursday, Aug 27, 2026 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what excited you about playing this specific role?
Gal Gadot: From the moment I picked up the script, I could not stop reading it. It was such an easy read. It grabbed me from the get-go, and I love the ending. Usually, you watch a movie, and halfway in, you kind of know where it’s going. Not with ‘The Runner’. Not with this one. When I read it, it felt like it’s going to be a movie that I’m going to enjoy watching.
MF: Marlon Brando once said that the most challenging type of acting to do on film is “Phone Acting.” Your character spends most of the film on the phone with Damian Lewis’ character, so do you agree with Mr. Brando? Was it challenging to shoot those scenes?
GG: I agree. I 100% agree. I much prefer and enjoy sharing the screen with a partner and playing off of someone else’s energy and reaction. Here it was really challenging because not only I had to run and be on the move the entire time, but also play with a voice that was someone reading, and there wasn’t a connection but I still had to play it off of my imagination. So, it was challenging, but I’m very happy with the result.
MF: Your character also spends most of the film running. How did you prepare for that and was it mentally and physically exhausting?
GG: Yes, it was very draining. I finished the film on crutches because there’s only so much the body could take. Look, I prepped for nine months with the most incredible trainers. I had an Olympic trainer, Malachi Davis, and I worked with another trainer who made sure I’d be strong enough to be able to run. Malachi taught me how to run for nine months. But then when you actually have to do it day after day, morning to night, it’s so exhausting that no matter how much I tried to channel Tom Cruise‘s energy, I was like, “I can do it.” At the end I finished on crutches, but that’s okay. We dealt with that too.
MF: Finally, can you talk about collaborating with director Kevin Macdonald on set and with his background in documentary film, how do you think that added to the look of the film?
GG: I think that was the whole concept from the get-go was to capture this film like a documentary, and to keep it very raw and loose, and make the audience feel as if they’re there with us. I think that Kevin completely managed to do it brilliantly.
What is the plot of ‘The Runner’?
A successful London-based attorney (Gal Gadot) is thrust into a tense and dangerous chase across the city after her son (Rory Wilmot) is abducted. Forced to obey a series of cryptic commands from a mysterious Caller (Damian Lewis), she races against time through a web of secrets and threats in a desperate bid to save her son.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Runner’?
- Gal Gadot as Maia Marten
- Damian Lewis as Caller
- Rory Wilmot as Noah Marten
List of Movies Starring Gal Gadot:
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