People Teased Will Poulter For Looking Like Sid From "Toy Story," And He Used The Joke To Deliver A Powerful Message

You’ve probably heard Will Poulter’s name a lot lately, and for a good reason.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star has used his supernova spotlight to highlight many issues related to mental health, body image, and bullying, and other celebrities should take note.

During a feature for GQ, the 30-year-old actor went undercover on social media to see what people were really saying about him.

It started light-hearted, with him searching “the actor with the eyebrows” on Google, which oddly pulled up dozens of photos and articles about him despite most actors having... eyebrows.

When Will switched over to Twitter, things got serious for a moment. He came across a tweet from a user asking why he dressed up like Sid Phillips from Toy Story back in 2017. “Thought he hated this comparison, so how did this happen in the end? Knowing him he must have done it for a reason," they wrote.

Will candidly explained his reason for dressing up like his least favorite comparison, saying, “I did do it in light of some of the comparisons between me and Sid from Toy Story that were going around on the internet.”

“I work with Anti-Bullying Pro and the Diana Award, I did it during anti-bullying week to raise awareness of that organization," Will said. "So, that was that."

When he shared the tweet at the time, he wrote, "In addition to having a laugh at my expense, I wanted to try and raise some attention for a cause I am an ambassador for! @antibullyingpro.”

FYI, October is National Bullying Prevention Month. October 2 is World Day of Bullying Prevention.

Will’s reason behind dressing up as Sid reminds me of the time I finally dressed up like Mr. T for Halloween after years of being teased for looking like him. Truly, I hated the comparison but felt if I finally embraced it, maybe the jokes would go away.

Will's anti-bullying work makes you think twice about the next time you poke fun at someone's appearance, even if you think you're doing it in good fun.

Thanks for the awareness, Will!

Watch the full GQ video here.

StopBullying.gov is an organization that provides resources to prevent harassment and bullying against children. Stomp Out Bullying offers a free and confidential chat line here.