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One scene from The Running Man remake was particularly memorable for the film’s director — and, no, it wasn’t Glen Powell’s bare-it-all towel scene.
While speaking to PEOPLE at the premiere of the dystopian action thriller in New York City on Nov. 9, Edgar Wright revealed why a scene between Powell’s Ben Richards and Colman Domingo’s Bobby T stood out to him during filming.
“The game show scenes were some of the most fun to film because they felt like they were kind of out of control in the way that Colman had the crowd going,” the 51-year-old filmmaker says, referring to the scene where Domingo’s character — host of a deadly reality TV competition show — is encouraging a bloodthirsty live audience to hate the new contestants.
Ross Ferguson/Paramount Pictures
“They’re all like hurling abuse at Glen, who is handcuffed,” Wright adds of Powell’s character, who is being introduced to the crowd before he’s set free to participate as a contestant in the life-or-death game.
He continues, “It felt sort of kind of out of control in the best way.”
Elaborating on Domingo, 55, the director praised the Fear the Walking Dead actor’s performance as the competition’s electrifying host.
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“He was amazing, like, he was his own warmup man,” Wright explains. “All of his scenes he’s in front of extras and he just had them whipped up. He had them in the palm of his hand by the end of day one.”
Wright — who previously directed Last Night in Soho, Baby Driver and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World — also showered Powell, 37, with compliments.
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“I knew Glen a little bit before we started filming, and so when his name came up in contention for it, I was so excited because I knew he was the guy,” the filmmaker says of casting Powell in the lead role.
Wright adds, “It’s just perfect because I think what’s great about Glen is he has this everyman quality. He’s relatable, and I think that makes the action more exciting.”
The Running Man — a remake of the 1987 film of the same name starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Dawson — also stars Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones and William H. Macy.
The Running Man is now in theaters.
