The bar has been set so high for superhero transformations that accepting a role in a Marvel or DC movie typically means eating and training like an athlete is required. And with that comes a lot of pressure.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star Will Poulter would have known that when he signed on to play antagonist and ‘physical specimen’ Adam Warlock.
Having previously revealed that he wouldn’t have been able to achieve his transformation without a major movie studio paying for his meals and training, the British actor has now explained how Marvel and Disney were also careful to look after his mental health during the process, too.
Speaking to The Cut, Poulter said: “I really appreciated that they [the studio] prioritized my mental health throughout the process, because I was concerned about how it might affect me when I was really hungry or tired or stressed.”
He’s also mentioned in the past that his preparation for the role of Adam Warlock included lots of gym work and eating “quantities of food you wouldn’t necessarily want to ingest.” He claims that work was necessary to portray a character that has been described as an ‘artificially created antagonist genetically engineered to be a perfect specimen’.
Still, Poulter admitted that “perfect” wasn’t what he was shooting for when he accepted the role, and humbly revealed that word doesn’t really describe what he put up on screen.
“I knew the second they cast me that they were going in a different direction,” Poulter said, adding that his version of the character is essentially a baby and “far from physically perfect in just about every way.”
A self-described foodie, Poulter has said in the past that movie transformations are ‘unhealthy’ and ‘unrealistic’ without a movie studio’s backing. No surprise then that when the film wrapped and he was free to eat what he wanted, he made up for the many months with a “blur of calories.”
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