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Gal Gadot says filming her latest action thriller, The Runner, came with a painful setback after she sustained injuries while performing the physically demanding role.
The 41-year-old actress told PEOPLE that she completed filming the Prime Video drama while using crutches after breaking her feet during production. In the film, Gadot plays Maia Marten, a high-powered London defense attorney whose life changes dramatically when she discovers that her son has been abducted while she is out on a morning run.
"I finished the film on crutches," Gadot said. She explained that there was only so much she could do after suffering the injury. "At one point I broke my feet and that was it. And afterwards I needed to recover and all of that."
The production later returned to complete scenes that could not be filmed because of her injury. Gadot said the experience also made her realize just how physically demanding the project had been.
"I feel like we are exhausted the idea of running for me after running for so many months like this," she said.
The film required Gadot to run extensively through different parts of London as her character follows instructions from a mysterious caller while attempting to rescue her kidnapped son. The trailer shows her running through neighborhoods, along roads and railway tracks, and across various locations as the tense pursuit unfolds.
To prepare for the role, Gadot trained with an Olympic trainer who taught her how to run efficiently and make the technique feel natural.
"It's one of those things that you prep and prep and prep, but you never know how we're going to do that," she explained. "Neither of us have ever filmed anything like this."
Although Gadot has performed in numerous action movies throughout her career, she said she had never taken on a role that required her to run continuously for much of the day. The production therefore involved plenty of trial and error as the team worked out how to film the demanding sequences.
After completing the film, Gadot took time to recover. She joked that while crutches may be a nice accessory, they were not something she wanted to keep using.
Fortunately, Gadot has since recovered and says she is back to normal and ready to return to physically demanding work.
Directed by Kevin Macdonald, The Runner also stars Damian Lewis, Rory Wilmot and Alfred Enoch. The film premieres globally on Prime Video on Sept. 2.
