'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3' Actor Will Poulter Doesn't Love the Objectification That Comes With Being a Marvel Star

British actor Will Poulter has been working since he was a teenager, first starring in films such as Son of Rambow and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, before eventually making a transition into adult roles. Still, his recent turn as Adam Warlock in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 was a career turning point for the 30-year-old star, and it's brought a level of physical scrutiny that he says has been complicated to navigate.

Poulter opened up about fan commentary on his appearance and physical attractiveness in a new GQ profile, explaining how the conversation has been uncomfortable at times, particularly as a mental health and anti-bullying advocate. Poulter is outspoken about the various causes he supports on his Instagram account.

"It was weird when people started to debate my physical appearance online as to whether it was deemed attractive or unattractive," he told GQ. "I am very comfortable and secure in the knowledge that I'm not conventionally attractive as I've always had remarks about looking unusual—whether it's my eyebrows or whatever else, people have made a thing of that."

One thing Poulter takes particular umbrage with is the frequent comparisons he gets to the character Sid in Toy Story, which came out in 1995 when he was just two years old. Though, he admits that he "arguably hasn't helped [his] case" by dressing up as the character for anti-bullying week in 2017.

Poulter also expressed his frustrations with people comparing side-by-side photos of him online, such as a pair that recently went viral from his 2013 comedy Meet the Millers next to him as a literal superhero in Guardians.

"There's literally 10 years between those two pictures but people don't even realize it," he recalled. "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!'"

He's struggled to digest comments like that, which people mean to be a compliment. "I don't know if that's just me being cynical, but it's hard to not take it as a backhanded compliment," he said. "People say it like it's positive, but it could also contribute to a complex."

Poulter joins a handful of Marvel stars who have discussed how the pressure to appear superhero fit and attractive affected their self image. Actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani previously opened up about the body dysmorphia he suffered during and after the filming of Marvel's Eternals in a 2021 Vulture interview.

"To hear a bunch of people reaffirming my own darkest thoughts about myself was very difficult," the 45-year-old star said at the time.