Gal Gadot in “The Runner.” Photo: Amazon MGM Studios324

Israeli actress Gal Gadot talked about the kind of courage she finds inspiring, vulnerability, and being a “lioness” wanting to protect her children in a new interview published on Wednesday.

In the upcoming film “The Runner,” Gadot stars as Maia, a successful lawyer whose son is kidnapped. She is subsequently forced to sprint through the streets of London and obey a series of commands in order to save her abducted child.

Gadot graces the cover of Modern Luxury‘s September 2026 issue and in her cover story — which was shot at The Jaffa Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel — she talked about her starring role in the psychological thriller.

“Maia isn’t a superhero. She doesn’t have all the answers. She makes mistakes, she doubts herself, she gets scared, and yet she keeps moving forward,” Gadot told the magazine. “I think that’s the kind of courage I find most inspiring. Real courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s choosing to keep going despite it.”

In the film’s trailer, viewers see Maia being fearful, for her son’s life and what she must do to save him. Gadot told Modern Luxury her character doesn’t hide her fear and said, “Some of the smartest, strongest people I know are also deeply vulnerable because they have so much to lose. Maia is brilliant, analytical, and capable, but when her family is threatened, every decision becomes emotional. To me, vulnerability doesn’t weaken intelligence. It gives it stakes.”

The mother-of-four also told the magazine being a parent helped her tap into a different emotional connection with her character.

“I think the moment you become a mother, you also become a lioness,” she explained. “Nothing matters more than your children. No matter where we come from or what we believe, I think every parent shares the same instinct: to keep their children safe. And the greatest fear any mother carries is the thought of not being able to protect them. That’s the fear Maia lives with throughout this story.”

She said motherhood “has probably become the deepest emotional well I have. It gives me access to emotions that are impossible to imagine intellectually; you simply feel them.”

Gadot prepared for her role in “The Runner” by training with former Olympian Malachi Davis and previously said the project is the most physical film she’s ever done. Gadot also broke her foot weeks before filming was complete. “The Runner” is directed by Kevin Macdonald and also stars Damian Lewis. It will be released on Prime Video on Sept. 2. Watch the trailer below.