"There’s nothing better than a bacon sandwich": Will Poulter talks cooking, acting and working with the kids food charity Magic Breakfast

Turn on any really good TV show or film from the past five years and 90% of the time Will Poulter will be in it.

Warfare. The Bear. Dopesick. Poulter has been busy.

Whilst his traditional “breakout” roles that people quote back to him are usually from We’re the Millers and Maze Runner, some Brits will remember his early days starring in films like Son of Rambow (filmed in his summer holidays aged 14), and the beloved Narnia series. Whilst the stock story of a child star usually signposts to burn out and Hollywood excess, Poulter acts as an antidote to this arc, never doing the same kind of project twice, and being the definition of a genuinely great guy in the A-Z of Hollywood who’s who.

If you needed further proof of that statement, in between his (many) acting gigs, Will works as an ambassador for a dozen different charities, taking his precious days off from hectic filming schedules to volunteer and forward a bunch of great causes.

In between wrapping his new film Union County and before heading back out to the states for his next project, Will stopped by The Lucky Saint in Marylebone with Shortlist for a pint… of iced coffee.

It's an appropriately breakfast themed twist on our usual boozy chats, as he’s currently working with charity Magic Breakfast who help provide breakfast for kids in primary and secondary schools, so that no child goes hungry. The kind of cause a self-confessed huge foodie loves to get behind.

SL: Will, thanks for coming down and joining us for a pub breakfast. Kicking off with a drink, are you more tea or coffee?

Will Poulter: I don't actually like tea. They're going to take away my British passport! I love coffee though — without coffee I'm a different person.

SL: It feels like the classic mic-test question we usually ask before shooting, but considering what you're working on, it feels appropriate: what did you have for breakfast this morning? What was a usual breakfast or morning like when you were younger?

WP: As a kid I used to eat the leftovers from the night before for breakfast. So I would always be embarrassed if it came up in like a French oral class or something. I would have to ask “how do you say Spaghetti Bolognese on toast” in French, because that’s what I’d had. I actually went to a region in Italy where apparently Bolognese on bread is a real thing, so I was at home straight away.

SL: So you were vindicated? A cultural visionary in North London.

WP: It’s since changed, so now it’s more like a yoghurt bowl with granola and fruit. Which when I was younger I never thought I’d like.

SL: As an ambassador for Magic Breakfast, that technically makes you a (slightly tenuous) breakfast expert, right? So what in your opinion is a top tier breakfast?

WP: I think it’s about trying to get something in the morning that’s mostly healthy but has energy attached, because you’re next meal will be lunch, so you do need something that is slow releasing energy and balanced. I wasn’t necessarily the best advert for that as a kid, I think it took me until I was in my thirties to learn that. But Magic Breakfast do that so well – whenever I’ve gone down to help out I’m always impressed with the range they have so there’s something for everyone.

SL: You’ve had some amazing co-stars in the past — and shared some on screen roles being a chef. But if you had to team up with a former co-star and open a restaurant with them, who would you pick?

WP: I am really lucky because I’ve been able to work with amazing actors and had to learn how to cook because of the nature of the roles I'm playing – and got to a really good level. The person who immediately comes to mind, because he’s one of the nicest people on planet earth and talented in the kitchen, and someone I have a really good natural rapport, with is Lionel Boyce who plays Marcus in the Bear.

We did a fair amount of prep together and we’d spend a lot of time talking about food, and eating together off set so I think I have a good sense of his palate, he has a good sense of mine, and we have a good working relationship. Maybe we’d open a kind of Danish pastry inspired breakfast spot. With iced coffee too.

SL: You spend a lot of your time on sets, so what's the food like? Have you ever had a moment on set where you're like, 'oh wow I'm eating a bacon roll with Michael Keaton'?

WP: One of the best things about my job is being able to travel, and you get to experience food from various parts of the world, and depending on where you’re shooting you get different options that are reflective of the kind of cuisine and multicultural influences of the area. One of my favourite things about shooting in America is that breakfast burritos are a huge thing. There are a million different ways you can have it and it's a staple on American sets. From a nostalgic point of view though, there’s nothing better than a great bacon sandwich, or a sausage in a roll.

SL: Speaking of stuff the Brits do well, what are some of your favourite London spots?

WP: One of my favourite things growing up was this Thai restaurant which in the mornings was a greasy spoon — it was around the corner from my family’s place. After midday it would transition into serving Thai food, run by this lovely family and it was the best Thai food I found in London. It was a one stop shop for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but that was how I experienced my first Full English outside the house, and it introduced me to Thai food too. It was emblematic of that kind of multiculturalism we all benefit from in London.

The London greasy spoon I love is the Little Wonder Cafe right by the Emirates stadium and I’m an Arsenal Fan – it’s an iconic and beloved spot for Arsenal fans, and they’re die hard arsenal fans so that might have a little something to do with it. But the food’s amazing and the people are lovely.

SL: Thinking back to school days, I feel like you can really tell we’re in an assembly deficit as adults — I miss school assemblies and just think everyone would have a better day if we started with an old-school assembly...

WP: You know, I did a film last year and our director Greg Kwedar spent every morning addressing the cast and crew for like 10 minutes, and it just helped get everyone on the same page and establish this sort of camaraderie. I hadn’t seen a director do that before and it was really cool, it was sort of like a little set assembly.

SL: I feel like we talk about breakfast setting you up for the day, but sometimes, no matter how ready you are for the day... sometimes there’s no saving you. Have you ever had a really bad day on the job, particularly an audition you can’t forget?

WP: There’s one I wake up with the sweats about. It was in America, and I’d flown out especially for it. It was down to the final stages but even then I didn’t fancy my chances – I was sort of the outside bet. I went out and prepared the three scenes, learnt them off by heart and was doing it opposite the lead actor who was this amazing American comedian, very famous.

I finished the third scene and was like, “thanks very much everyone” turned to leave and they went “what about the fourth scene?", and I just went “I’m sorry what”. The American actor just turned over his page and I remember thinking ohhhhh no. I was given twenty minutes to go and quickly look over it, and I remember being so nervous all the words were swimming around on the page. And I could hear everyone else going in and crushing it, I could hear cheering, whooping, laughter.

Safe to say I barely remembered a single thing on the page and did a very bad job. It was like leaving the exam hall and realising you haven’t turned over and done the last page.

SL: You've been acting since you were school-aged. Were there any dream roles you were desperate to do as a kid? And have you done them now?

WP: Definitely as a kid some version of a superhero would have been on the dream list for sure [Will plays Adam Warlock in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise .ed]. Honestly my biggest interest alongside acting was always cooking – my mum was a great cook and I’d be in the kitchen watching her so playing a chef was the kind of dream. I’m so grateful to The Bear for giving me that opportunity — and that gave rise to collaborate with different people in the hospitality space. Despite facing a load of challenges themselves, especially post Covid, they’re so philanthropic and lots of people I’ve intersected with in the hospitality world [while training for The Bear] are so keen to give back, acknowledging that food insecurity and hunger is such a challenge even in a country like England.

So being able to collaborate with friends I’ve made in the hospitality space supporting organisations like Magic Breakfast, New Horizon Youth Centre, City Harvest has been one of the best things to come out of being on that show. I hope I’m able to continue doing that.

You can find out more about Magic Breakfast and how to support the charity via their website.

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