One Of The Good Guys

He’s worked with some of the film industry’s greats and landed an award for kissing Jennifer Aniston – and he’s only 26. So, what’s next for Londoner Will Poulter? Sophie Goddard finds out

- Sophie Goddard

The day I speak to Will Poulter, the heavens open. ‘Is this even London? It’s mad!’ he says, speaking louder over the downpour. I mention I’d wondered whether the actor – now a bona fide Hollywood star – would be based in sunny LA these days, but he immediately confirms (lucky for us) that he has no plans to leave his hometown. Poulter, 26, grew up in west London with his parents and three siblings (one brother and two sisters), but now lives further east. His parents, who are both medics, didn’t try selling medicine to him as a career. ‘I never had the grades, which is why I was grateful that my interest in creative arts was nurtured at school,’ he says. ‘It was something I wanted to apply myself to and was passionate about. It’s important that young people have the option to explore every aspect of their interests, so they’re not forced into something that is ultimately going to make them unhappy.’

Poulter’s lucky break happened at school – School Of Comedy was a sketch show he performed at the Edinburgh Fringe with classmates, aged 14, and the show (written by his then-drama teacher Laura Lawson at The Harrodian School) ended up being commissioned for two series on E4. Its unexpected success – and his brilliant comedic timing – led to his film debut, the 2007 comedy Son Of Rambow, followed by 2010s The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader. ‘That was a really big leap for me because Son Of Rambow was a small, independent film and such a gentle, nice start to the industry,’ he recalls. ‘So the leap to Narnia – in terms of scale and size – was just huge.’