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Will Poulter calls out people who debated his physical appearance after Marvel ‘glow-up’

10 May 2023, 17:16

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By Katie Louise Smith

"I am very comfortable and secure in the knowledge that I'm not conventionally attractive as I've always had remarks about looking unusual – whether it's my eyebrows or whatever else."

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Will Poulter has opened up about the memes and conversation about the changes in his physical appearance.

From his early roles in Son of Rambow and The Maze Runner, to the likes of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Midsommar, Will Poulter has been a firm fave and talented British star on the big screen. Back in 2021, Will was cast in (arguably) his biggest role yet: Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

The Marvel role required him to bulk up physically, and conversation on social media quickly turned to his 'glow up' – something that he has now shared that he found "hard to not take it as a backhanded compliment".

Speaking to GQ, Will discussed the "weird" conversation surrounding whether or not he was 'good-looking' on social media, and called out those who always feel the need to comment on people's looks and bodies.

Will Poulter opens up about the social media conversation surrounding his appearance. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images, Marvel Studios/Disney via YouTube

Speaking about how his physical appearance became a subject of debate after being cast as Adam Warlock, Will said: "It was weird when people started to debate my physical appearance online as to whether it was deemed attractive or unattractive."

"I am very comfortable and secure in the knowledge that I'm not conventionally attractive as I've always had remarks about looking unusual – whether it's my eyebrows or whatever else, people have made a thing of that," he continued. "I think it just speaks to a wider issue, of: why are we discussing or spending so much time discussing people's physical appearance? Especially in the case of women."

"But whether you're male or female, why is that the focus so much? Unfortunately, social media has created this problematic idea that everyone's opinion on everything matters equally."

Will Poulter plays Adam Warlock in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Picture: Marvel Studios/Disney via YouTube

Will also discussed how the memes comparing him to Sid from Toy Story, and those comparing how he looked 10 years ago compared to now have affected him.

"It’s funny – when things trend like that on the internet, all context is lost and a big one is talking about overnight transformations," he said. "The one that went viral in relation to me was a picture of me in We're The Millers next to a picture of me in Guardians. There's literally 10 years between those two pictures but people don't even realise it."

"Someone in the pub two days ago said, ‘Oh, you've had a glow up. Congrats.’ It's a little bit hard to not accept that as, ‘You were ugly for the best part of your life, and now things are looking up a bit!’ I don't know if that's just me being cynical, but it's hard to not take it as a backhanded compliment. People say it like it's positive, but it could also contribute to a complex,” he added.