Guardians star Will Poulter on playing golden himbo Adam Warlock

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a film about goodbyes — but it also says hello to one notable Marvel hero.

The third and final film in James Gunn's Marvel trilogy introduces Adam Warlock, the gold-plated superman played by Will Poulter. The 30-year-old British actor is best known for roles in We're the Millers, Dopesick, and Midsommar, but here he suits up as a literal golden god, a powerful warrior genetically engineered to destroy the Guardians.

He's also a bit of a moron. In the comics, Adam has a long and convoluted history, having taken on different forms since his 1967 debut. On screen, he was created by the Sovereign Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki), who explains that since he was removed from his cocoon early, he's a bit… undercooked. As a result, Poulter's warrior might be the most powerful hero we've seen yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and also one of the dimmest.

With the new Guardians in theaters now, EW caught up with Poulter to talk about suiting up and taking flight as Adam.

Jessica Miglio/Marvel Studios Will Poulter as Adam Warlock in 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Take me back to the very beginning. How did you get involved in this movie?

WILL POULTER: I was shooting a project in London, and I got a request to audition and make a tape for "Untitled Marvel Project." My mate Ethan put me on tape for it. I didn't quite know what it was at that time and thought there was next to zero chance of me hearing anything back from this tape. And then, I did hear something back. Over time, I got through various stages and ended up covered in gold makeup, screen-testing in front of James Gunn in Atlanta in September, three months later. It was quite a strange, secretive audition process, but ultimately I was very honored to get the part of Adam Warlock.

So, they put you in gold makeup for your screen test?

For my screen test, I was in gold makeup, I was in gold clothes, and I was in a pair of gold Air Max 95s, which I was very excited about. I shouldn't have even been thinking about that. I should have been thinking about the lines that I had to learn. But I was thinking, Oh, this is quite cool. I'm in gold Nikes.

Fun fact: The bottom of Adam Warlock's boots are Air Max 95 soles, so actually the exact same thing. That's pretty cool. Adam Warlock basically wears Nikes.

He should get a brand deal!

Listen, I'm working on it. [Laughs]

Once you actually got the role and got to sit down with James Gunn, what was it that interested you about Adam?

I think the fact that this was someone who was in his infancy and trying to discover his way in the world. Even in a relatively limited period of time in this movie, I got to explore what his maturation looked like and how he started to sort of carve out his moral compass and decide the sort of being he wanted to be. How much he was going to align himself with the Sovereign, what his relationship to the Guardians was going to be. It was full of ambiguity and nuance, and James was down to explore it all. So, it was nice to find out that we were kind of on the same page in that regard, and we could get our teeth into that kind of material.

How long did the makeup process take you each day?

I think the hair and makeup was two hours. Maybe just under. The team are so incredible, and they move really, really quickly. What is quite a big undertaking, hair and makeup-wise, is done pretty quickly and efficiently just because our team of artists are so talented. Spending time with those folks for a couple of hours every day was a pleasure.

I also wanted to ask about the flying — because you do a lot of that. How does that work? Are you in a harness?

There's kind of two or three ways it goes down, with different-shaped harnesses and wires. You work in collaboration with the stunt team, obviously, and the rigs to make that happen. It's not always the most comfortable thing, but it's super fun once you're doing it. My flying dreams have improved exponentially. I love dreaming about flying now because they're kind of like movie-quality now. [Laughs]

You've got the full art department and budget of a Marvel movie behind your dreams now.

Absolutely. I was very much a low-budget flying dreamer, but after this experience it feels very, very real. [Laughs]

Tell me a little bit about working with James Gunn. What's he like on set?

It was super surprising to me. He has a sense of fun and looseness and play that is so, so enjoyable to engage in. Then, by contrast, he simultaneously has such a clear vision of what he wants because he storyboards everything out. He's such a visionary. He knows exactly what he wants. He's so confident in what the best version of any given scene or moment looks like. It allows space for play once he's gotten what he knows he needs.

It took me by surprise because the movie being as big as it is, I didn't necessarily think there'd be room for that kind of play and improvisation and any real creative freedom, necessarily. But there was tons of it.

That was one of the things I wanted to ask: Was there anything about joining the Marvel machine that really surprised you?

You know, more than anything it was the fact that when we were on set, it felt like we were making an indie comedy with a big group of friends. I think I was expecting something that maybe matched my expectations based on what I could see from the outside looking in. I thought I was going to be in a scary, stiff, sort of slow-paced thing. Everyone was engaging in their sense of play and imagination and really having a laugh around the way. There's a certain amount of pressure and responsibility, obviously, that comes with this, and you want to do service to what is a fantastic script. But James and our producers made sure that we all had a good time along the way. Chris Pratt was also kind of chief to making sure that was the experience.

Marvel Studios Meet Blurp, a fuzzy alien creature from 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,' voiced by Dee Bradley Baker

No spoilers, but Adam spends a lot of time with a tiny fuzzy creature named Blurp. How was Blurp as a costar?

Super cute. [Laughs]. Blurp, on the day, took the shape of a kind of gray stuffed animal with no face or features. But James showed me some pre-viz art to let me know what Blurp would look like. I knew he was going to be super cute and slobbery. Ugly-cute, if you will. I love that Adam had a pet. It was quite boyish of him, I suppose, and made sense for where the character is at this stage. And it was fun flying with Blurp. He's my pride and joy.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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