RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Gal Gadot talks about the intense emotion behind her new movie 'The Runner' By Joelle Garguilo Wednesday, September 2, 2026 1:23AM Gal Gadot talks about the upcoming film with Joelle Garguilo. NEW YORK (WABC) -- Gal Gadot said months of training, an aversion to running and an injury at the end of filming all contributed to the challenges of making her new film, "The Runner."
In an interview with Eyewitness News entertainment reporter Joelle Garguilo, Gadot said she underwent extensive preparation for the role, which required her to spend much of the movie running.
"It took me some time. I needed a lot of preparation, and I prepped for it for nine months," Gadot said. "If there's one thing I don't like to do is running."
When asked whether she disliked running before taking on the role, Gadot replied: "No. Hated running."
Gadot credited Malachi Davis with helping her prepare for the physically demanding project.
"They brought an incredible Olympic trainer named Malachi Davis who taught me to run the right way and how to do it properly," she said. "And for nine months, we've been training and working and making sure that I'll be ready. And still, I finished the film on crutches."
The production also required a unique approach to filming action sequences, she said.
"We had to be very thoughtful about the way that we film things," Gadot said. "We had to have, the camera crew, they they had to be able to dirt blades and skateboards and carry the because otherwise, they wouldn't be able to give the feel that I was under and also, you know, catch me on time."
Gadot described the experience as unlike anything she had done before.
"I've never done anything like this before. It was so intense," she said. "I am so excited and satisfied that I finally get to share this film with everybody."
The conversation also touched on the film's emotional impact. JG told Gadot that, as a parent, the story tapped into fears he could relate to. Gadot said she watched the film with her 9-year-old daughter.
"I did with my nine year old, and she my husband was sitting between us and she kept on making sure we were holding our hands together," Gadot said. "And at the really scary part, she kept on making sure that I was alive, that I'm still there."
Gadot said her own experiences as a mother influence the types of characters she enjoys portraying.
"But I think it's, you know, I that's part of the reason to why I like to play these badass women because I am mother of four," she said. "I want a children that they have everything that it takes to thrive and and live their life to the fullest. But, yeah, this movie is incredibly, intense."
Later in the interview, Gadot said the film's twists and turns were a major reason she signed on to the project.
"That's what sold me on the script. The twists and turns at the end," she said. "Because usually I go and I watch the film and I'm like, okay, I figured it out. I know how it's gonna end. But this one, you just don't."
She added that the story's unpredictability appealed to her from the moment she read the script.
"Like, when I read the script, I was like, oh, wait. What?" Gadot said. "It was really appealing for me that she was sophisticated and so smart to, you know, to figure this out."
As for whether her months of training inspired her to take on a marathon in the future, Gadot's answer was definitive.
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