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Glen Powell talks candidly about his stunt accident on set!
During New York Comic Con, the Twisters actor, 36, exclusively opened up to PEOPLE about what happened while filming his new movie The Running Man, a remake of the 1987 film, and said filming some of the stunts was “a little nerve-wracking.”
“There were a few explosions that hit me in the face, and I was really surprised that the fire extinguisher went off before it exploded,” he says.
According to the synopsis on IMDb, Running Man is a dystopian thriller in which Powell’s Ben Richards (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original) takes part in a bloodthirsty game show where contestants are chased by “hunters.” A hunter is hired to kill them, but Richards must survive to win the bounty to help his sick daughter.
Given the film’s plotline, it was no surprise that director Powell was expecting some action. But he says that’s a good thing, and that he enjoys being “surprised” in his roles.
“I always try to keep surprising myself, because that’s always a good thing. You can’t be too sure on set,” he added.
At the event, which took place at the Javits Center in New York City, Powell also mentioned a particular scene in which the audience will see his “authentic reaction” when he falls “off the side of a building.”
Jon Nasion/Getty, Paramount Pictures
“The cable came loose a little bit before I thought it would come loose,” he explained with a laugh about the failed stunt. “Even falling just a few feet onto the side of a building when you least expect it can make you a little nervous.”
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As for his favorite stunts, Powell said he remembers jumping off an exploding bridge, as well as the “hand-to-hand combat” in the movie.
Ross Ferguson/Paramount Pictures
“There’s a lot of action, it’s non-stop,” he says of the film, which is based on Stephen King’s 1982 novel of the same name. “There’s a really cool action scene in the third act between Lee Pace (Hunter, Evan McCone) and I that’s pretty crazy.”
The Running Man was directed by Edgar Wright and co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Bacall. The two have worked together in the past, including in 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
In addition to Powell and Josh Brolin, 57, Running Man also stars Colman Domingo, Jamie Lawson, Lee Pace, Katie O’Brian, William H. Macy, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra and Scott Pilgrim’s Michael Cera.
The original 1987 film was directed by Paul Michael Glazer and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, and Jesse Ventura.
Directed by Edgar Wright, The Running Man will be released in theaters on November 7th.
