Adam Warlock star Will Poulter opens up about the struggles he faced in the industry following people’s remarks about his physical appearance. The actor finally made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
To prepare for the superhero role, Poulter had to bulk up and build muscles. He shared the rigorous and demanding process of achieving such a look, as well as his fight against body insecurities.
Will Poulter Claps Back At People Criticizing His Physical Appearance
In a recent interview with GQ Hype, Will Poulter confessed he used natural and safe ways to gain weight and tone his body:
“All I know is I worked as hard as I could, safely and naturally, to conceivably pass as a superhero. I can’t be an advocate for mental health and simultaneously be promoting anything other than responsible and natural bodybuilding.”
The Narnia star pointed out the problem with people always making comments about someone else’s physical appearance. Poulter claims he is comfortable despite knowing he is not the standard of beauty in the industry:
“I am very comfortable and secure in the knowledge that I’m not conventionally attractive as I’ve always had remarks about looking unusual. I think it just speaks to a wider issue, of: why are we discussing or spending so much time discussing people’s physical appearance?”
Poulter also finds Internet trends about physical transformations or glowing up as backhanded compliments. Fan pages posting his photos ten years ago and comparing them with his look now on Guardians seem to deliver a rude message.
“People don’t even realize 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!’”
These insensitive remarks have greatly affected the actor’s mental health, and he confessed going to the gym helped improve his self-confidence.
RELATED: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Star Adam Warlock Wants To Appear in More Avengers Movies
Will Poulter On His Role As Adam Warlock And Working With James Gunn
Will Poulter discussed a bit about Adam Warlock and shared that Gunn seemingly put a twist on the character as it turned out not what many fans expected to see in theaters. The actor described it as “out of the oven early and isn’t fully baked.”
As for his work on Adam Warlock, he recalled speaking to Sasha Calle, who played Supergirl, and shared how the role demanded an intense core workout as he had to hold poses for long periods of time. Nonetheless, Poulter enjoyed the process and the scenes he worked with other co-stars.
Meanwhile, the Midsommar actor has nothing but praise for Gunn and his creative vision for the movie. He said:
“By the end, I felt really confident in just doing whatever James said. Sometimes words like visionary get overused. But James is a visionary, there is no question. The way he’s able to visualize things and then bring them to life is second to none.”
Even before his Marvel role, Will Poulter has been getting in shape to clear his mind. The actor admits this has been beneficial to the way he looks at himself.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is now showing in theaters worldwide.
Source: GQ Hype
