diff --git a/act/runner/action.go b/act/runner/action.go
index 1e144462..61793d9e 100644
--- a/act/runner/action.go
+++ b/act/runner/action.go
@@ -436,13 +436,11 @@ func newStepContainer(ctx context.Context, step step, image string, cmd, entrypo
 	if rc.IsHostEnv(ctx) {
 		networkMode = "default"
 	}
-	stepContainer := container.NewContainer(&container.NewContainerInput{
+	stepContainer := ContainerNewContainer(&container.NewContainerInput{
 		Cmd:          cmd,
 		Entrypoint:   entrypoint,
 		WorkingDir:   rc.JobContainer.ToContainerPath(rc.Config.Workdir),
 		Image:        image,
-		Username:     rc.Config.Secrets["DOCKER_USERNAME"],
-		Password:     rc.Config.Secrets["DOCKER_PASSWORD"],
 		Name:         createContainerName(rc.jobContainerName(), "STEP-"+stepModel.ID),
 		Env:          envList,
 		Mounts:       mounts,
diff --git a/act/runner/action_test.go b/act/runner/action_test.go
index 3814c6eb..c5dc2360 100644
--- a/act/runner/action_test.go
+++ b/act/runner/action_test.go
@@ -258,6 +258,54 @@ func TestActionRunner(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestNewStepContainerDoesNotUseDockerSecrets(t *testing.T) {
+	cm := &containerMock{}
+
+	var captured *container.NewContainerInput
+	origContainerNewContainer := ContainerNewContainer
+	ContainerNewContainer = func(input *container.NewContainerInput) container.ExecutionsEnvironment {
+		captured = input
+		return cm
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		ContainerNewContainer = origContainerNewContainer
+	}()
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	rc := &RunContext{
+		Name: "job",
+		Config: &Config{
+			Secrets: map[string]string{
+				"DOCKER_USERNAME": "docker-user",
+				"DOCKER_PASSWORD": "docker-password",
+			},
+		},
+		Run: &model.Run{
+			JobID: "job",
+			Workflow: &model.Workflow{
+				Name: "test",
+				Jobs: map[string]*model.Job{
+					"job": {},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		JobContainer: cm,
+		StepResults:  map[string]*model.StepResult{},
+	}
+	env := map[string]string{}
+	step := &stepMock{}
+	step.On("getRunContext").Return(rc)
+	step.On("getStepModel").Return(&model.Step{ID: "action"})
+	step.On("getEnv").Return(&env)
+
+	_ = newStepContainer(ctx, step, "registry.example.com/action:tag", nil, nil)
+
+	// DOCKER_USERNAME/DOCKER_PASSWORD should not be injected as pull credentials for docker action containers.
+	assert.Empty(t, captured.Username)
+	assert.Empty(t, captured.Password)
+	step.AssertExpectations(t)
+}
+
 func TestMaybeCopyToActionDirHoldsCloneLock(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
diff --git a/act/runner/run_context.go b/act/runner/run_context.go
index 0ff660bd..de85ebce 100644
--- a/act/runner/run_context.go
+++ b/act/runner/run_context.go
@@ -1175,21 +1175,18 @@ func setActionRuntimeVars(rc *RunContext, env map[string]string) {
 }
 
 func (rc *RunContext) handleCredentials(ctx context.Context) (string, string, error) {
-	// TODO: remove below 2 lines when we can release act with breaking changes
-	username := rc.Config.Secrets["DOCKER_USERNAME"]
-	password := rc.Config.Secrets["DOCKER_PASSWORD"]
-
 	container := rc.Run.Job().Container()
 	if container == nil || container.Credentials == nil {
-		return username, password, nil
+		return "", "", nil
 	}
 
-	if container.Credentials != nil && len(container.Credentials) != 2 {
+	if len(container.Credentials) != 2 {
 		err := errors.New("invalid property count for key 'credentials:'")
 		return "", "", err
 	}
 
 	ee := rc.NewExpressionEvaluator(ctx)
+	var username, password string
 	if username = ee.Interpolate(ctx, container.Credentials["username"]); username == "" {
 		err := errors.New("failed to interpolate container.credentials.username")
 		return "", "", err
diff --git a/act/runner/run_context_test.go b/act/runner/run_context_test.go
index 56c14bd3..40f4d73c 100644
--- a/act/runner/run_context_test.go
+++ b/act/runner/run_context_test.go
@@ -170,6 +170,38 @@ func TestRunContext_EvalBool(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestRunContextHandleCredentialsDoesNotUseDockerSecrets(t *testing.T) {
+	workflow, err := model.ReadWorkflow(strings.NewReader(`
+name: test
+on: push
+jobs:
+  job:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps: []
+`))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	rc := &RunContext{
+		Config: &Config{
+			Secrets: map[string]string{
+				"DOCKER_USERNAME": "docker-user",
+				"DOCKER_PASSWORD": "docker-password",
+			},
+			Env: map[string]string{},
+		},
+		Run: &model.Run{
+			JobID:    "job",
+			Workflow: workflow,
+		},
+	}
+
+	// DOCKER_USERNAME/DOCKER_PASSWORD secrets should not be used as implicit job container pull credentials.
+	username, password, err := rc.handleCredentials(t.Context())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Empty(t, username)
+	assert.Empty(t, password)
+}
+
 func TestRunContext_GetBindsAndMounts(t *testing.T) {
 	rctemplate := &RunContext{
 		Name: "TestRCName",
diff --git a/act/runner/step_docker.go b/act/runner/step_docker.go
index 28c3bc10..9d2a85a1 100644
--- a/act/runner/step_docker.go
+++ b/act/runner/step_docker.go
@@ -125,8 +125,6 @@ func (sd *stepDocker) newStepContainer(ctx context.Context, image string, cmd, e
 		Entrypoint:   entrypoint,
 		WorkingDir:   rc.JobContainer.ToContainerPath(rc.Config.Workdir),
 		Image:        image,
-		Username:     rc.Config.Secrets["DOCKER_USERNAME"],
-		Password:     rc.Config.Secrets["DOCKER_PASSWORD"],
 		Name:         createContainerName(rc.jobContainerName(), "STEP-"+step.ID),
 		Env:          envList,
 		Mounts:       mounts,
diff --git a/act/runner/step_docker_test.go b/act/runner/step_docker_test.go
index 230fa6b4..da508d1f 100644
--- a/act/runner/step_docker_test.go
+++ b/act/runner/step_docker_test.go
@@ -38,7 +38,12 @@ func TestStepDockerMain(t *testing.T) {
 	sd := &stepDocker{
 		RunContext: &RunContext{
 			StepResults: map[string]*model.StepResult{},
-			Config:      &Config{},
+			Config: &Config{
+				Secrets: map[string]string{
+					"DOCKER_USERNAME": "docker-user",
+					"DOCKER_PASSWORD": "docker-password",
+				},
+			},
 			Run: &model.Run{
 				JobID: "1",
 				Workflow: &model.Workflow{
@@ -106,6 +111,10 @@ func TestStepDockerMain(t *testing.T) {
 
 	assert.Equal(t, "node:14", input.Image)
 
+	// DOCKER_USERNAME/DOCKER_PASSWORD secrets should not be used as implicit pull credentials for docker:// action containers.
+	assert.Empty(t, input.Username)
+	assert.Empty(t, input.Password)
+
 	cm.AssertExpectations(t)
 }