Why Bridger From The Revenant Looks So Familiar
"The Revenant" is an important moment in cinematic history, particularly because it's the film that finally earned Leonardo DiCaprio his long-awaited Oscar. However, while DiCaprio certainly delivers an impeccable performance in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's 2015 hit chronicling one man's journey to avenge the murder of his son while recovering from a bear attack in the North American wilderness, it also has a number of other great character performances as well. One such performance is that of Jim Bridger, delivered by an actor who likely looks incredibly familiar to many avid moviegoers.
If Jim Bridger looks familiar to you, that's because you recognize British actor Will Poulter. With an extensive list of credits, Poulter has quickly proven himself as one of Hollywood's most versatile character actors and fasting rising stars. He has a number of great films under his belt, so let's take a look at some of his most well-known and important roles to date.
Poulter began his career with Son of Rambow
Kicking things off with a bang is Will Poulter's first credited film role: "Son of Rambow." The 2007 indie comedy was directed by Garth Jennings and follows two boys who set out to film a movie loosely inspired by the Sylvester Stallone film "First Blood." The film stars Poulter as well as Bill Milner and is the feature film debut of both actors.
Though far from the biggest critical or commercial hit of his career, "Son of Rambow" proved to be a great starting point for Poulter as he moved on to bigger things in Hollywood. The film was positively reviewed by folks close to the original "Rambo" franchise from which it draws inspiration. In fact, "First Blood" author David Morrell praised the film (via David Morrell), and "Rambo" star Sylvester Stallone reportedly sent a congratulatory note to the filmmakers after "Son of Rambow" debuted (via Uncut).
Poulter played an awkward kid in We're the Millers
Following his starring role in "Son of Rambow," Will Poulter appeared in numerous other films and television roles before landing one of his first major roles in the 2013 comedy "We're the Millers." The film stars Poulter alongside Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, and Emma Roberts, along with supporting turns from Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Thomas Lennon, and others. "We're the Millers" follows the central quartet as they are endeavor to smuggle drugs to the United States from Mexico while maintaining the facade of a fake family.
"We're the Millers" proved itself to be a surprise hit at the time of its release. The comedy earned nearly $270 million worldwide (via The Numbers), arguably representing a dying breed of star-driven feature-length studio comedies. Following this success, a sequel titled "We're Still the Millers" was announced, but there has been no official movement on the follow-up film in the decade since the original installment debuted.
He escaped the maze in the Maze Runner franchise
Will Poulter has flirted with franchise filmmaking over the course of his career (something that will go to the next level when he joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Adam Warlock), but arguably his first major foray into the blockbuster landscape was his role in "The Maze Runner." Directed by Wes Ball, the first film in the trilogy follows a group of teens trying to make their way through a mysterious, booby-trapped maze in a postapocalyptic future. In "The Maze Runner," Poulter portrays Gally, a bully and antagonist to Dylan O'Brien's Thomas.
Though Gally seemingly dies during the climax of "The Maze Runner," he later receives a redemption arc as the series evolves. While the character does not appear in the second "Maze Runner" film, "The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials," he returns in the final entry in the trilogy, "The Maze Runner: The Death Cure." In this appearance, he joins forces with Thomas and the rest of the surviving group to take down WCKD in the Last City.
He terrorized people as a cop in Detroit
Will Poulter has played a fair number of villains throughout his career, but arguably his most villainous turn to date came in 2017 with his role in "Detroit." Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, "Detroit" chronicles the 1967 Algiers Motel incident, in which three people were killed and many others terrorized by police searching for a gun that was supposedly fired in the motel. In the film, Poulter portrays Philip Krauss, a racist police officer who oversees the search. Though Krauss is a fictional creation for the film, he is based on one of the real officers who participated in the historical event.
"Detroit" was divisive among audiences and critics at the time of its release. Some, such as New York Times reviewer A.O. Scott, criticized the film for its depiction of the Algiers Motel incident, while others, such as Rolling Stone reviewer Peter Travers, praised Kathryn Bigelow's unflinching and tense portrayal of the event.
Poulter played a programmer in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
Many of today's biggest stars have made appearances on "Black Mirror" over the years, with the series providing early roles for actors such as Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, and others. In 2018, Will Poulter appeared in the highly anticipated spin-off "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch," a meta take on choose-your-own-adventure storytelling in which audiences could actually determine the course of the story. In the interactive film, Poulter portrays eccentric video game designer Colin Ritman.
Like many installments in the "Black Mirror" universe, "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" was presented to audiences as a stand-alone, anthology-style story. That said, there is reportedly a chance that audiences could see a continuation of this story in some form. In fact, Poulter spoke about this possibility in 2020, admitting that he would be open to returning as Colin Ritman if "Black Mirror" creators Annabel Jones and Charlie Brooker were interested in the idea (via NME). Not only that, but Poulter is eager to explore the idea of Ritman having time travel abilities and bringing his character to the modern era or even into the future.
He had his face removed in Midsommar
Director Ari Aster instantly established himself as a modern horror master with his 2018 hit, "Hereditary." With that in mind, all eyes were on him to replicate the scares in 2019's "Midsommar," a bizarre horror film that follows a group of Americans who travel to a midsummer festival in Sweden only to find themselves victims of a violent cult sacrifice. In "Midsommar," Will Poulter portrays Mark, who joins the group of friends on their journey to Sweden.
Alas, things do not go well for Mark, who is lured away from the group during a meal. While the audience is initially kept in the dark about his fate, eventually, a figure believed to be Mark shows up, only for it to be revealed that Mark has been killed and his face turned into a mask worn by a member of the cult. "Midsommar," although not quite as well-received as "Hereditary" at the time of its release, was given generally positive reviews (via Rotten Tomatoes) and was a box office success during its theatrical run (via The Numbers).