In Fearless Fashion

From We’re the Millers to Midsommar, Will Poulter continuously proves that he’s got the artistic chops and depth to tackle different styles. And be fearlessly real.

- Asri Jasman

There’s a rather defining scene in 2013’s road-trip comedy film We’re the Millers, that stars seasoned comedic actors Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis, and young English actor Will Poulter. It was when the latter’s character had the unfortunate encounter with a tarantula—he got bit in the testicles, suffered from an allergic reaction to it, which then culminated in a hilarious pan of his swollen bits, punctuated by Poulter’s on-the-money acting.

As much as it was difficult to shake off the image (it was a prosthetic, of course), if there was anyone who wasn’t familiar with Poulter before, they sure were after.

BEING AUTHENTIC

Like any true actor, Poulter’s relatively young career—he started off in 2007 with a limited-release film, Son of Rambow—hasn’t been just filled with comedic roles. Talking to me over the phone while waiting to catch a flight from London, Poulter says that it’s never been a conscious decision.

“To be honest with you, I’ve actually tried not to discriminate based on genre. But I’ve always tried to make my decisions based on the quality of the material, the message of the film or the television show, and about the creative involved,” he expresses. “I guess I’m interested in the things that exist between the boxes; the films that take up shelf space that you can’t quite label.”