How an on-set accident led Rodrigo Santoro to speak Portuguese in Runner
A reaction after a knock to the knee helped the actor bring a Brazilian touch to the villain Damián Zaldívar.
Rodrigo Santoro speaks Portuguese at moments in Runner, released in Brazil as Três Horas Para Viver. The detail began with an accident on set: according to Ingresso.com’s account of an interview with Zero Hora, Santoro hit his knee and swore in Portuguese.
Director Scott Waugh heard the reaction and liked the sound. Santoro then considered bringing some of his Brazilian roots to the character. He said speaking his native language occasionally felt freeing; English and Spanish were already in the script.
The film opened in Brazilian cinemas on October 29. Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson play men tasked with transporting an organ vital to a seven-year-old girl, while Santoro’s crime boss threatens their mission.
The account of the accident and the character’s development comes from Ingresso.com’s report on the Zero Hora interview.
