‘Runner’ Interview: Owen Wilson, Rodrigo Santoro and More

(Left) Owen Wilson and 'Runner' director Scott Waugh. (Right) Rodrigo Santoro. — (Left) Owen Wilson and ‘Runner’ director Scott Waugh. (Right) Rodrigo Santoro.

Opening in theaters on September 11th is the action comedy ‘Runner’, which was directed by Scott Waugh (‘Expend4bles’).

Runner

“Next-day delivery isn’t an option.”

Release Sep 11, 2026Runtime 1h 37m

The new film stars Alan Ritchson (‘Reacher’), Owen Wilson (‘Loki’), Rodrigo Santoro (‘Westworld’), Leila George (‘Love Story’), and Adriana Barraza (‘Blue Beetle’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Owen Wilson, Rodrigo Santoro and director Scott Waugh about their work on ‘Runner’, Waugh’s first reaction to the screenplay and the tone of the film, Wilson’s onscreen chemistry with Alan Ritchson, Santoro’s villainous character, and executing the action sequences.

Related Article: Alan Ritchson Talks Prime Video’s ‘Reacher’ Season 3 and the New Cast

Alan Ritchson stars in 'Runner'. Photo: Angel Studios. — Alan Ritchson stars in ‘Runner’. Photo: Angel Studios.

Moviefone: To begin with, Scott, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the things you wanted to do with this movie as a director to make it standout from other films in the genre?

Scott Waugh: I had been playing in the tentpole world for a little while with my previous films, and I wanted to find material that was a more grounded, 80s, 90s style action movie that just really had more character work behind the action and all that. When I read the script, I was just captivated by the way the writers had maintained your attention the entire time. The tension that they interwove from the get-go was really impressive, but I really resonated towards the emotion behind it. For me, it was something that I’d been trying to find since ‘Act of Valor’. I’ve been trying to find something for me that I emotionally resonated with. ‘Act of Valor’ was always a movie about being willing to die for your fellow brother. That was what the exploration of that movie was, of the Navy SEAL diving on the grenade. This one, what two men were willing to do to try to save a seven-year-old girl, and what one man was willing to do to stop them, was what really captivated me.

(L to R) Owen Wilson and Alan Ritchson in 'Runner'. Photo: Angel Studios. — (L to R) Owen Wilson and Alan Ritchson in ‘Runner’. Photo: Angel Studios.

MF: Owen, can you talk about Ben and Hank’s unlikely partnership and was the chemistry between you and Alan Ritchson instant when you stepped on set?

Owen Wilson: Well, you say unlikely partnership and that’s always the basis for a buddy comedy, it’s the mismatch quality of the two guys. Certainly, that exists with just looking at me and Alan and then what he’s been through and the way he’s processing this pain that he’s dealing with in his life and where my character’s coming from. You put those guys together, you put them in a car, and there’s just a lot to play on. So it was a pretty easy dynamic to fall into.

Rodrigo Santoro stars in 'Runner'. Photo: Angel Studios. — Rodrigo Santoro stars in ‘Runner’. Photo: Angel Studios.

MF: Rodrigo, can you talk about your approach to playing your character and how you wanted to present him on screen?

Rodrigo Santoro: First of all, human. This is one of those characters that could easily fall into a stereotypical version of a gangster. I really didn’t want to do that. We had great conversations since day one with Scott and I told him my concerns and he completely agreed. We slowly built Damian. The sense of humor started to come in place. I started to improvise in Portuguese. I speak a lot of Portuguese. That wasn’t meant to be like that. There was a lot of Spanish, but then I brought some Portuguese and I wanted to give some layers to the character so he’s not a conventional villain. I never really approach parts as villains or heroes. I just think human beings are too complex to put in a box. So I’m always trying to find the complexities about the character. This one has his own motivations to do what he’s doing. I’m not saying he’s right, completely the opposite, but I think it’s important for the audience to try to understand the characters. I think ‘Runner’ brings a great balance between the action and the emotional, and there’s character development too, even though we are on a mission and we don’t stop, you learn about those characters throughout that journey and you care about them, you get involved. By the end of the day, you will leave this film thinking, “I didn’t see that coming. Well, let me think about Damian. Maybe he’s not what I thought in the beginning.” So, it’s what Scott was saying before, there’s a lot underneath, which I think makes the film great.

(L to R) Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin in 'Midnight Run.' Photo: Universal Pictures. — (L to R) Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin in ‘Midnight Run.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

MF: Scott, the movie has a real ‘Midnight Run’ vibe, is that what you were going for and are there other films that were an influence to you while making ‘Runner’?

SW: ‘Midnight Run’, for me, definitely was one of those. Part of it’s because, obviously, it’s a car movie, two characters stuck together in a car, so you have that. But it just seems, again, back to those 80s and 90s movies that were buddy pictures and they were always polar opposite guys thrust together in extraordinary circumstances. The thing that really resonated the most right now is there seems to be a trend in the last decade of making extraordinary men ordinary, and that’s kind of the superhero realm, whereas I’m purposely gravitating towards more ordinary men becoming extraordinary. That’s what I find with these characters in this movie, two ordinary men that go to extraordinary lengths to save a seven-year-old girl.

Owen Wilson stars in 'Runner'. Photo: Angel Studios. — Owen Wilson stars in ‘Runner’. Photo: Angel Studios.

MF: Owen, what was it like for you working with Alan, Scott, and the stunt team to execute the movie’s incredible action sequences?

OW: It seems with action it’s a little bit like a fireworks display where you’re kind of, “Okay, we’ve got this action here in the beginning, but it has to build.” It can’t just be the same tone and you got to build to a finale. There’s a great finale with Rodrigo and Alan. But Scott talked about ordinary. Ben Bishop’s a pretty ordinary person. But Hank, I don’t know if we can call him ordinary. What’s his background? Is he a Navy SEAL? Well, that guy doesn’t look ordinary. He’s got ordinary problems, but he has a skillset, let’s say.

Rodrigo Santoro stars in 'Runner'. — Rodrigo Santoro stars in ‘Runner’.

MF: Finally, Rodrigo, was there one stunt or action sequence in particular that was challenging for you and how did you overcome that challenge?

RS: Yeah, the final sequence was a very long sequence, and very technical. It takes place in an empty hospital, and it took us a lot of rehearsal. It was the first time I was really doing stunts like that. Alan was very helpful. He’s a master at doing that, so that was great. But it was challenging. It was very challenging because, like I said before, it wasn’t just punches. There was an emotional journey underneath. So, it was the combination. I’ve never experienced this before where I have to be technical, not to get hurt or to hurt my partner, but at the same time, there was big motivations underneath. That’s why that sequence is so wild. I loved it. When I watched it, it blew me away completely. I have to pick that one.

'Runner' opens in theaters on September 11th. — ‘Runner’ opens in theaters on September 11th.

What is the plot of ‘Runner’?

A delivery man (Alan Ritchson) is tasked with bringing a new healthy liver to a sick girl and is forced to escort the man (Owen Wilson) who brought the liver while evading ruthless mercenaries who plan on taking the liver for their benefit.