Colman Domingo Explains How Jerry Springer Inspired His ‘Running Man’ Character

As those in attendance at last week’sCinemaConsaw, there’s a lot to look forward to when it comes toEdgar Wright’s remake ofThe Running Man. StarringGlen Powellin the role first held byArnold Schwarzeneggerback inPaul Michael Glaser’s 1987 adaptation of theStephen Kingnovel, the movie has been building plenty of anticipation. Set in a dystopian future, the story follows a man named Ben Richards (Powell), who agrees to participate in a reality competition survival show that sees him pursued by hunters. Keeping the folks back at home entertained will beColman Domingo’s Bobby Thompson, who hosts the family-favorite TV show. From thefirst teaser we saw last week, Domingo’s character is flashy, over-the-top, and downright entertaining — precisely the personality you’d tune into see week in and week out.

During a conversation with The Playlist, Domingo opened up about how he and Wright settled on the wacky and zany personality. Giving credit where credit is due, Domingo points to one of theoriginal big namesin the drama-centered game show world — the lateJerry Springer.

“Edgar [Wright] and I were talking about all the differences of game show hosts and TV hosts, period, of different shows… I remember the documentary [Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action] just landed and I thought, ‘This is interesting.’ Someone who was just a guy with a role, and then he started to take off and started to feed into it as well and sort of bring out the worst in people in many ways. But also felt like he was not complicit at the same time.”

All For the Love Of the Audience

During his time on television, Springer found himself at the center of numerous fights between his guests and learned how to play perfectlyto the crowd. Given that the host was one of Domingo’s muses for his performance inThe Running Man, fans can expect that same style to overflow into the movie. Leading the audience was at the top of the actor’s list when it came to perfecting his character, adding,

“That’s interesting how he plays with the audience, how he gets the audience in the palm of his hand to the point, you know, yelling out ‘Jerry, Jerry, Jerry.’ Someone who wasn’t very well known but then made everyone believe he was, which was interesting. So there is a lot of inspiration, but there are a lot of hosts in Bobby [Thompson].”