The Running Man Actor Recalls Bombing a Script Reading with Dustin Hoffman

The Running Man’s titular Ben Richard may be soaking in all the applause for his performance; there was a time he was star-struck. And who wouldn’t be, if you had someone as legendary as Dustin Hoffman sitting across from you?

During a recent episode of Hot Ones, Powell recalled his early days in the industry, particularly an incident where the Rain Man actor praised Powell for his work in The Great Debaters.

He recalled, “My first week, I found myself at a dinner sitting next to Dustin Hoffman. I was sitting next to him, and he saw a movie I did called The Great Debaters. The fact that [he] saw this movie just blew my mind. I was like, ‘This is the coolest moment of my entire life.’ He said, ‘You’re a good actor.’ I was like, ‘Oh dude, thank you.’”

It became an even more amazing moment for Powell when Hoffman offered him a part to read. “He goes, ‘I got something, I got something for you. Let’s keep in touch.’”

A man of his word, Hoffman invited Powell to read the scripts. But Powell wasn’t aware that the moment would quickly turn into his worst nightmare – so much so that he would actually disappoint Hoffman and, in his words, see Hoffman’s “life drain from his eyes”

“I started reading, but I was so in awe that Dustin Hoffman was sitting across from me. He’s one of my favorite actors of all time. As I’m reading, I’m watching the life drain from his eyes, being like, ‘This guy sucks so bad.’ And I was like, ‘Oh no,’” remembered The Running Man star.

The Running Man, starring Glen Powell, Emilia Jones, Lee Pace, and more, is based on the 1982 Stephen King novella of the same name. It serves as more of a faithful translation of King’s lore than a remake of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger-led movie of the same name. Directed by Edgar Wright, the film is slated to hit theaters on November 14, 2025.

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