At The Baftas, Will Poulter Is Ushering In a New Look
The last time Will Poulter attended the Bafta Awards was in 2019. The then 26-year-old was asked to co-present the cinematography category with the actor Michelle Yeoh, who was riding high off yet another box office hit in the form of Crazy Rich Asians. He, on the other hand, hadn't stood on that stage since his Rising Star award win five years prior.
“She was so nice and it was very cool, if not surreal, to be on the stage with Michelle,” he says to me over the phone, amid getting ready for this year’s awards ceremony where he’ll be co-presenting once again.
Back in 2019, Poulter made a joke that didn’t quite land – a fate that can befall even the most seasoned of hosts. Still, the show must go on. He reacted by referencing the failure of said gag, which inevitably got the audience chuckling.
“I'm never not at risk of making an idiot of myself or saying something stupid. I think it speaks to me being a foot-in-mouth person.”
Of course, that very British sense of self-deprecation is part of the charm that’s helped him become a household name. Millennials might look fondly back to him playing the slightly whiny cousin, Eustice Stubb, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Horror fans will remember his role in Midsommar, where his character, Mark, brought some comedic relief to the gruesome feature. He's done blockbusters (Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume Three) as well as TV (Dopesick, The Bear). Mention him, and people will counter with at least one film or TV series he's made better for his presence.
Now in his early thirties, his work schedule is yet to slow down. Two A24 films will be in the cinemas from April. Death of a Unicorn is a “pretty unusual” comedy which follows two different families as they embark on a series of events after happening upon the supposedly mythical creature. While Warfare, shares co-director Ray Mendoza’s experience during the Iraq war, as the story follows a platoon of Navy Seals as they go through insurgent territory in 2006. Poulter plays the grandson of a quirky billionaire (Richard E. Grant) in one film, and a frontline soldier in the other.
“There's natural variety in the fact that the character the world is set in leads you down different paths, and encourages you to learn different skills and interact with people in different industries,” he says of the prep of the two opposing films. “You try and do as much as possible. That's really the only commonality between the between the two projects, or any project for that matter.”
Another film that’s debuting in 2025, On Swift Horses, has left a lasting impression on more than just Poulter’s career.
“It's set in the fifties, and all the clothes of that time – like the high-waisted trousers – felt like everyone was making an effort while simultaneously being effortless. I loved that, and it was quite hard going back to wearing jeans around my waist. I’ve been hiking my trousers up a little higher ever since," he tells me. "Actually, my Dior suit today is slightly high-waisted. I genuinely think that's something that I've only really started doing since that project!”
The look comes straight off the runway from Kim Jones’s last show as creative director, which (quite fittingly) looked to Christian Dior’s Igne H collection from autumn/winter 1954-55.
“I also feel really lucky to be wearing some of Kim [Jones’s] designs. I'm such a fan of his work. I think what he's done at Dior is so amazing, he has such an amazing ability to sort of honour the heritage of fashion houses while also moving things forward.”
With a suit and skincare from Dior – his grooming routine: “I’m pretty lazy, so I use whatever products make [the process] as easy as possible – Poulter is just about ready to walk the red carpet. Not before he shares a memorable fashion faux pas.
“I was quite young, and it was one of the first [award ceremonies] that I ever went to,” he says laughing. “It was at the MTV awards, close to 15 years ago now, and I had the security tag on the back of my jacket. I didn't realise until after the event. I had walked the carpet; I'd been on stage – it’s about as bad as it gets.”
Sure, that might not have been the desired intention – but the guy always knows how to get a laugh from a crowd.
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