Glen Powell reveals why he must perform own stunts
Glen Powell feels he has to put his "skin on the line" when doing movies.
Glen Powell performs dicey stunts in movies so people get value for their theater ticket.
The 37-year-old actor does not want audiences to have an empty feeling when they learn the death-defying sequences were done on a green screen, via computer-generated imagery (CGI).
Glen told the Saturday Guardian magazine: "It really sells it because if the audience know that you are in peril, there is an inherent investment.
"I believe you have to give the audience their value in the ticket. If people are actively going to the theater, getting a babysitter, maybe doing dinner, you've got to justify that ticket price.
"And that's what Tom [Cruise] always talks about - you have to have skin on the line. If they're showing up for you, you've got to show up for them."
Glen performs "non-stop, bad a**" stunts in his new movie, The Running Man, and audiences will see his "authentic" reactions to the sequences in the dystopian thriller.
The actor plays Ben Richards in the film - which is set in a titular game show, and pits contestants, "runners" against a team of murderous Hunters, who attempt to locate and kill them. If a runner stays alive for 30 days, they bag $1 billion.
As part of his role, Glen can be seen "jumping off exploding bridges", as well as tumble off roofs.
And his 63-year-old Top Gun: Maverick co-star Tom Cruise - who also performs his own stunts - gave Glen some top tips to perfect the daredevil sequences.
Glen said: "The fact that Tom is such a close friend now - when I got The Running Man, he was literally my first call.
"I said, 'Dude, you've been doing this for decades.' He has picked up every trick in the book. And he's so generous - I thought I was going to talk to him for 10 minutes. He stayed on the phone for two hours plus.
"He's like, 'Tell me some of the stunts you're doing.' I said, 'OK, I'm jumping off exploding bridges, falling off roofs.'
"He said, 'Are you running at night?' Yes. 'OK, that means you'll probably wrap at five in the morning. Don't do any sprinting shots at five in the morning. Your body's going to be out of whack, and you'll get hurt. They're always going to do a wetdown at night.'
"So Tom says, 'That's fine if you're running straight. If you're taking a corner, no.'
"He goes, 'If you're hanging 11 storeys up, make sure people see how high you are. Make sure the shot reflects depth and dimension. You are selling the fact that you are doing these things.'"
