Ask any director, and they'll tell you that filming a movie is rather difficult.Now try shooting a movie where the protagonist is constantly on the move.That is one of the several challenges director Kevin Macdonald faced in a new Prime Video action movie starring Gal Gadot.
Kevin Macdonald on the difficulty of filming Gal Gadot on the run How does one convey emotion while running? In Gadot plays Maia, a high-profile attorney based in London.After dropping her son, Noah (Rory Wilmot), off at school, Maia heads into the park for a run.Her exercise is cut short when a mysterious caller (Damian Lewis) informs Maia that Noah has been abducted.
The only way Maia can ensure her son's safety is to obey the caller's commands, forcing her to race around the city and complete a set of difficult tasks.How did Gadot pull off this exhausting performance? Macdonald told How-To Geek's Dan Girolamo that Gadot's excellent fitness played a factor in her performance.The actress had to run extensively during the shoot, which can be physically draining.
According to Macdonald, capturing Gadot's emotional performance was more challenging than showcasing her physical fitness."The thing we spent the most time talking about is how do you express emotion when you're running and you're tired? Macdonald explained."It's very hard.
The camera's bouncing around.Your head's bouncing around.There's only so many times you can go into slow motion.
That was probably the biggest challenge.As Macdonald pointed out, the answers to his questions were on the page.Kevin Macdonald on utilizing Damian Lewis as the caller Less is more when it comes to the performance An exciting thriller is only as good as its villain.
Damian Lewis, the British actor best known for and steps into the role of the sinister caller who torments Gadot's character.The mystery caller kidnaps Maia's son and plans to use her as a pawn in his scheme.Macdonald shared that he spent a lot of time determining who the caller was "psychologically." The character went through many iterations, including one where Lewis played an American.
Eventually, Macdonald settled on having Lewis play a London native, which Macdonald believes made the character more menacing.Kevin Macdonald: We found that making him more local—making him more specifically London, and also kind of draining out a lot of the obvious emotion in his performance and making it quite kind of calm and neutral—was more frightening and sinister than somebody who's yelling and screaming and being all melodramatic.is now streaming on Prime Video.
The Runner PG-13 Action Thriller Release Date September 2, 2026 Runtime 84 Minutes Director Kevin Macdonald Powered by Expand Collapse
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