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Will Poulter

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Will Poulter
Poulter at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
William Jack Poulter

(1993-01-28) 28 January 1993 (age 31)
Hammersmith, London, England
Alma materUniversity of Bristol
OccupationActor
Years active2006–present

William Jack Poulter (born 28 January 1993) is an English actor. He first gained recognition in School of Comedy (2009) and then for his role as Eustace Scrubb in the adventure film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) and his starring role in the comedy film We're the Millers (2013). He won the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2014.

Poulter starred in the first and third film of the dystopian science fiction trilogy The Maze Runner (2014–2018), the period film The Revenant (2015), the drama film Detroit (2017), the interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018), and the horror film Midsommar (2019). In 2021, he had a leading role in the Hulu miniseries Dopesick, for which he received an Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. In 2023, he joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and had a recurring role in FX's series The Bear, which earned him another Emmy Award nomination.

Early life and education

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William Jack Poulter was born on 28 January 1993[1] in Hammersmith, London, the son of Neil Poulter, a professor of preventive cardiovascular medicine at Imperial College London,[2] and Caroline (née Barrah), a former nurse who was brought up in Kenya.[3][4]

He was a pupil at Harrodian School, whose well-known acting graduates include George MacKay and Robert Pattinson.[5] He struggled in school due to dyslexia and developmental coordination disorder, but found that he loved drama, which "gave [him] a sense of purpose".[6]

Poulter began studying drama at the University of Bristol in 2012,[7] before leaving after a year[8] when he got offered a part in The Maze Runner.[9][better source needed]

Career

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2007–2012: Early work

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Poulter played the role of Lee Carter in the 2007 film Son of Rambow, alongside his co-star Bill Milner. He performed with other young comedic actors in School of Comedy,[10] which aired its pilot on Channel 4's Comedy Lab on 21 August 2008, before being commissioned for a full series in 2009.[11]

In 2010, he played the role of Eustace Scrubb in the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which was filmed in Queensland, Australia, and was accompanied by some members of his family.[12][13] In 2010, he appeared in the BBC Three pilot The Fades, a 60-minute supernatural thriller written by Jack Thorne. The pilot was picked up as a six-part series in 2011, of which Poulter was not included.[14]

In 2011, Poulter starred alongside Charlie Creed-Miles as Bill's son Dean, in the British independent film Wild Bill, directed by Dexter Fletcher.[15] The cast included a host of British talent with Leo Gregory, Neil Maskell, Liz White, Iwan Rheon, Olivia Williams, Jaime Winstone, Andy Serkis, and Sean Pertwee, and scored a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer.[16] In 2012, Poulter began studying drama at the University of Bristol where he lived in Badock Hall, however dropped out after a year in order to pursue acting full time.[17]

2013–present: mainstream recognition and further work

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Poulter at the London premiere of We're the Millers in 2013

In 2013, Poulter played Kenny in We're the Millers,[18] starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis. He also appeared as a caretaker in the music video for Rizzle Kicks' song "Skip to the Good Bit".[19] Additionally, he unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Augustus Waters in The Fault in Our Stars.[20]

In 2014, he played Fordy in the crime film Plastic, directed by Julian Gilbey and starring Ed Speleers, Alfie Allen, Sebastian De Souza and Emma Rigby. The same year, he played Gally in the film adaptation of The Maze Runner,[18] alongside Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario. Poulter went on to describe the film, and his role in it, as "a turning point" in his career.[20]

In 2015, Poulter starred as Shane in the Irish indie film Glassland,[18] directed by Gerard Barrett and co-starring Jack Reynor and Toni Collette.[18]

In 2014, Poulter won the BAFTA Rising Star Award, voted for by the public.[21][22] The same year, he also won the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with his co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Emma Roberts) for his performance in We're the Millers.[23]

In 2014, Poulter was chosen as one of 23 upcoming actors to feature in July's issue of Vanity Fair, with all actors being named "Hollywood's Next Wave".[24]

Poulter at the Paris premiere of The Revenant in 2016

Poulter played Jim Bridger in the revenge-thriller The Revenant (2015), directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. The film centres on an 1820s frontiersman on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.[25] In 2017, he played the racist police officer Philip Krauss in the film Detroit,[18] about the 1967 Detroit riots. His performance was praised by Metro's Matt Prigge, who called him "terrifyingly confident".[26]

Poulter was originally cast as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the two supernatural horror films It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019), both based on Stephen King's 1986 epic supernatural horror novel of the same name. However, it was announced in June 2016 that Bill Skarsgård had been cast instead as Poulter became unavailable after the departure of its initial director Cary Fukunaga.[27]

In 2018, Poulter reprised his role as Gally in Maze Runner: The Death Cure, the third and final instalment of the Maze Runner film series.[18] Later that year, he starred in the film The Little Stranger,[18] as Roderick "Roddy" Ayres, a facially disfigured, haunted war veteran; and as game developer Colin Ritman in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a standalone interactive film of the Black Mirror television series.[28] In 2019, he played the character of Mark in Ari Aster's horror film Midsommar.[18] That year, he and Asim Chaudry presented Lee Mack with the Best Entertainment Performance award at the BAFTA TV awards for Would I Lie to You.[29] In 2020, he participated in filming The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope,[18] an interactive choice game created by Supermassive Games, in which he portrays Andrew, Anthony, and Abraham.

Poulter played the role of OxyContin sales representative Billy Cutler in Hulu's 2021 drama miniseries Dopesick.[18] Poulter's performance was nominated for a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for this role.[30]

In October 2021, Poulter was cast as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which released on 5 May 2023.[31][32]

Other activities

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In September 2024, Poulter was named as an Ambassador of dementia charity Alzheimer's Research UK.[33]

Filmography

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Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2007 Son of Rambow Lee Carter
2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Eustace Scrubb
2012 Wild Bill Dean
2013 We're the Millers Kenny Rossmore / Kenny Miller
2014 Plastic Fordy
The Maze Runner Gally
A Plea For Grimsby Jone Short film
Glassland Shane
2015 The Revenant Jim Bridger
2016 Kids in Love Jack [34]
2017 War Machine Sgt. Rick Ortega [35]
Detroit Philip Krauss [36]
2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Gally
The Little Stranger Roderick "Roddy" Ayres [37]
2019 Bainne Irish farmer Short film[38]
Midsommar Mark [39]
2021 The Score Troy [40]
2023 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Adam Warlock [41]
2024 On Swift Horses Lee [42]
TBA Death of a Unicorn † TBA Post-production[43]
Warfare † TBA Post-production[44]
I Love Boosters † TBA Filming

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2007 Comedy: Shuffle Find Your Folks Presenter 2 episodes
2008 Comedy Lab Various Episode: "Kids School of Comedy"
Lead Balloon Sweet Throwing Boy Episode: "Nuts"
2009–2010 School of Comedy Various characters 8 episodes; also writer
2010 The Fades Mac Episode: "Pilot"
2018 Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Colin Ritman Stand alone interactive film from TV series Black Mirror[45]
2021 The Underground Railroad Sam Miniseries; 1 episode
Dopesick Billy Cutler Miniseries; 8 episodes[46]
2022 Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Bobby Jones Miniseries; 3 episodes[47]
2023–2024 The Bear Luca 3 episodes[48]

Video games

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope Andrew, Anthony, and Abraham[49] Voice and motion capture

Radio

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Year Title Role Notes
2022 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Firewall Brody Teague Voice

Awards and nominations

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Year Work Award Category Result Ref
2008 Son of Rambow British Independent Film Awards Most Promising Newcomer Nominated [50]
2009 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in an International Feature Film – Leading Young Performers (shared with Bill Milner) Nominated [50]
2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Phoenix Film Critics Society Best Performance by a Youth in a Leading or Supporting Role – Male Nominated [50]
2011 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast (shared with Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes) Nominated [50]
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Best Performance by a Younger Actor Nominated [50]
London Film Critics' Circle Young British Performer of the Year Nominated [50]
2013 Wild Bill Nominated [50]
2014 We're the Millers Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Liplock (shared with Emma Roberts and Jennifer Aniston) Nominated [50]
MTV Movie Awards Breakthrough Performance Won [50][23]
Best Kiss (shared with Emma Roberts and Jennifer Aniston) Won [50][23]
Best Musical Moment Nominated [50][23]
British Academy Film Awards EE Rising Star Award Won [50][21]
Empire Awards Best Male Newcomer Nominated [50]
2015 The Maze Runner MTV Movie Awards Best Fight (shared with Dylan O'Brien) Won [50]
2022 Dopesick Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Nominated [50]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie Nominated [50][30]
Online Film & Television Association OFTA Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Limited Series Nominated [50]
2024 The Bear Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated [51]

References

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  1. ^ Rose, Mike (28 January 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 28, 2023 includes celebrities Ariel Winter, Will Poulter". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Professor Neil Poutler". Imperial College London. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  3. ^ Williams, Sally (22 March 2008). "Son of Rambow: ready for action". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Will Poulter". Flaunt Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  5. ^ Gilbey, Ryan (25 September 2018). "Will Poulter: 'I'm a white, straight, middle-class male. I'm aware I take things for granted'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  6. ^ May, Rebecca April (9 July 2020). "Will Poulter: "I'm a scaredy cat – I'll always avoid confrontation"". NME. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  7. ^ Poulter, Will [@PoulterWill] (9 September 2012). "I'm going to Bristol to study Drama, whilst pursuing [sic] my career in exactly the same way" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 August 2022 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Meet Will Poulter, the Bristol dropout starring in the latest episode of Black Mirror". 3 January 2019.
  9. ^ Poulter, Will (1 May 2023). "Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Star Will Poulter Answers Your Question: Actually Me". British GQ. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ Lee, Robin (16 August 2007). "School of Comedy". The List. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Comedy Lab: Comedy Lab". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  12. ^ Will Poulter Cast as Eustace Scrubb Archived 13 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine at www.narniaweb.com (accessed 22 June 2008)
  13. ^ Will Poulter Cast in Narnia 3 Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine at www.comingsoon.net (accessed 22 June 2008)
  14. ^ Sibayan, Genevieve (29 August 2010). "Touch – A new supernatural drama series for BBC3 {TV}". Frost Magazine. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  15. ^ "Narnia stars switch on London's Christmas lights!". The Hollywood News. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  16. ^ "Wild Bill - 2011, Drama, 1h 38m". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  17. ^ Lamont, Tom (6 October 2014). "Will Poulter: 'Hanging out in Soho House LA, that's my worst nightmare'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Will Poulter Credits". tvguide.com. 14 December 2023.
  19. ^ Rigby, Sam (10 October 2013). "Rizzle Kicks unveil 'Skip To The Good Bit' music video - watch". Digital Spy.
  20. ^ a b Peele, Anna (20 December 2017). "Detroit's Will Poulter Talks Making Out with Jennifer Aniston and Being Miserable with Leonardo DiCaprio". GQ. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Bafta Film Awards 2014: Full list of winners". BBC News. 16 February 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  22. ^ Reynolds, Simon; Harris, Jamie (8 January 2014). "BAFTA Film Awards 2014 – nominations in full". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  23. ^ a b c d "Will Poulter, Emma Roberts & Jennifer Aniston Win MTV Best Kiss". Hollywood Life. 13 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014. [dead link‍]
  24. ^ Smith, Krista (11 June 2014). "Hollywood's Next Wave". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  25. ^ Kroll, Justin (25 June 2014). "We're the Millers' Will Poulter Joins Leonardo DiCaprio in 'The Revenant' (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  26. ^ Prigge, Matt (23 July 2017). "'Detroit' is a nightmarish history lesson about trauma". Metro. London. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  27. ^ Kit, Borys; Siegel, Tatiana (2 June 2016). "Stephen King's 'It' Adaptation Finds Its Pennywise the Clown (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  28. ^ Allen, Ben (31 December 2018). "Meet the cast of Black Mirror's interactive film Bandersnatch". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  29. ^ Lee Mack Wins Entertainment Performance for Would I Lie To You? | BAFTA TV Awards 2019, 12 May 2019, retrieved 13 February 2024
  30. ^ a b "Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie Nominees / Winners 2022". Television Academy. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  31. ^ Kroll, Justin (11 October 2021). "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: Will Poulter To Play Adam Warlock In The Next Installment Of The Marvel Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  32. ^ Davids, Brian (12 May 2023). "'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' Star Will Poulter Talks Adam Warlock's Arc and His "Momentous" Scene with Chris Pratt". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  33. ^ "Ruth Wilson and Will Poulter Named Ambassadors of Alzheimer's Research UK". The Carer UK. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  34. ^ Ruby, Jennifer (21 June 2016). "Kids in Love trailer – exclusive: First look at Will Poulter and Cara Delevingne as young bohemian Londoners in new coming-of-age film". Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  35. ^ Kroll, Justin (20 August 2015). "Will Poulter Joins Brad Pitt in Netflix's War Machine". Variety. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  36. ^ Kroll, Justin (4 August 2016). "Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit Riots Film Casts Will Poulter, Ben O'Toole, Jack Reynor (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  37. ^ Lodderhose, Diana (23 May 2017). "Focus Features Acquires Lenny Abrahamson's The Little Stranger". Deadline. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  38. ^ Jackson, Angelique (11 July 2019). "Midsommar Star Jack Reynor Debuts Trailer For His Directorial Debut Bainne". Variety. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  39. ^ Sneider, Jeff (30 July 2018). "Exclusive: Jack Reynor, Will Poulter to Star in Ari Aster's Follow-Up to Hereditary". Collider. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  40. ^ Barraclough, Leo (21 February 2020). "WestEnd Boards Heist Musical The Score, Starring Johnny Flynn, Will Poulter, Naomi Ackie (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  41. ^ Kroll, Justin (11 October 2021). "Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3: Will Poulter To Play Adam Warlock In Next Installment Of Marvel Franchise". Deadline. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  42. ^ Kroll, Justin (28 February 2023). "Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, Diego Calva And Sasha Calle To Star In Adaptation Of On Swift Horses From Ley Line Entertainment And FirstGen Content". Deadline. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  43. ^ "Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Diego Calva to Star in Historical Drama 'On Swift Horses'". The Wrap. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  44. ^ Cordero, Rosy (28 March 2024). "Kit Connor, Cosmo Jarvis, Will Poulter & Finn Bennett Round Out Lead Cast Of Ray Mendoza And Alex Garland's Warfare". Deadline. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  45. ^ Orquiola, John (28 December 2018). "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Cast & Character Guide". ScreenRant. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  46. ^ Petski, Denise (15 September 2020). "Will Poulter Joins Dopesick Hulu Limited Series". Deadline. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  47. ^ White, Peter (10 June 2021). "Will Poulter & Lucy Boynton Star In Hugh Laurie's Adaptation Of Agatha Christie's 'Why Didn't They Ask Evans?' For BritBox U.S". Deadline Hollywood.
  48. ^ Zelden, Tristan (19 June 2023). "Will Poulter Joins Cast of 'The Bear' Season 2". The Nerd Stash. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  49. ^ Weber, Rachel (8 July 2020). "The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope's Hollywood star Will Poulter on witchcraft, screaming, and his three characters". GamesRadar . Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  50. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Will Poulter Awards". IMDB (Index source only). Retrieved 30 March 2023.[unreliable source?]
  51. ^ "76th Emmy Awards Complete Nominations List" (PDF). Television Academy. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
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