As criticism mounts over the film’s depiction of Islam, Majors says curiosity — not the size of the role — guided his decision to play Clay Saunders.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
September 28, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Jonathan Majors says he took the controversial Run Hide Fight: Infidels role because its unfamiliar subject matter offered a chance to “grow” as a person and artist.
- Majors plays retired Delta Force officer Clay Saunders in the Daily Wire action film, which depicts Islamic terrorists imposing Sharia law after seizing a pro-Palestinian college encampment.
- The movie marks Majors’ first major starring vehicle since his 2023 assault and harassment convictions, while Daily Wire says its debut generated triple the first-day subscriptions of the original film.
Jonathan Majors isn’t distancing himself from Run Hide Fight: Infidels now that the reviews are in. Instead, the former Marvel star says the controversial Daily Wire movie gave him a chance to tackle material he didn’t fully understand—and ultimately “grow” from it.
According to Page Six, during a Q&A, Majors was asked how he decides which roles are worth pursuing. The actor said it’s less a checklist than a gut reaction to the material. “Ultimately, it’s a feeling, you know, when you read the script,” Majors said. “And for me, it’s never been about the size of the role, but the responsibility of the character and the world in which the character is going to operate.”
That world has generated plenty of conversation since Run Hide Fight: Infidels premiered Sept. 16. Majors plays retired Delta Force officer Clay Saunders in the Kyle Rankin-directed action movie, which centers on Islamic terrorists taking over a pro-Palestinian encampment at a liberal college and imposing Sharia law.
At one point, Saunders tells students, “There are three ways Islam will conquer the West. Through immigration, through the wombs of our women and by using our nation’s freedoms against us.”
Majors said the script’s subject matter was actually part of the appeal. “I’ve got to do something and understand something that I didn’t understand before” and “be curious about,” he explained. “With Run Hide Fight: Infidels, I read it. I said, ‘Wow, I don’t really have the answers to this, you know. So, this is something that I should engage in, you know, in order to grow.'”
Majors said the experience offered the possibility of “growing as a person, as an artist, and having fun at work,” adding that the filmmakers were “building something that is really interesting to do and also interesting to deliver.”
The Daily Wire claims audiences on its platform are showing up. A company spokesperson told Page Six that the film generated triple the subscriptions on its first day that the original Run Hide Fight produced during the same window.
The movie’s politics aren’t the only reason it has followed Majors around. During production, Majors and co-star JC Kilcoyne accidentally crashed through an unsecured window and fell roughly six feet while filming a scene.
The incident became a flashpoint in an IATSE crew strike amid wider allegations about working conditions. Producer Dallas Sonnier responded, “The actors’ fall was shorter than the failed movie careers of the now-union reps,” and separately declared, “We don’t negotiate with communists.”
Infidels also carries unusual weight for Majors personally. It’s among his highest-profile new roles since his 2023 assault and harassment convictions derailed a career that had included Creed III, Lovecraft Country and Marvel’s Kang the Conqueror.
Majors has since been rebuilding his acting slate, and he recently said his dream project would put him opposite Denzel Washington—even joking, “I’ll be a trashman” if that’s what it takes.
For Infidels, however, Majors says the size of the part didn’t sell him. Speaking about Saunders, he said, “The responsibility he has in the film is great.”
