Plenty of people have probably imagined kissing Hollywood stars Emma Roberts and Jennifer Aniston, but Will Poulter is one of the few who has actually done it.
Even so, the actor has explained that the reality of locking lips with two A-listers at the same time — when he was only 19 — was far less glamorous than it sounds, describing it as a very “awkward” situation for him.
It might seem like an enviable problem to have, but Poulter’s reflection also highlights how much film sets have evolved in recent years.
The moment happened while filming the 2013 black comedy We’re the Millers. Poulter plays Kenny, a sheltered, sexually inexperienced young man who gets pulled into a wild plan to move cannabis across the US-Mexico border.
The movie was a major commercial success, taking $270 million at the box office from a $37 million budget. It also helped push Poulter into the spotlight, leading to bigger roles in later projects such as The Maze Runner, The Revenant, and Midsommar.
In the film, Kenny has been left behind by his family and ends up finding a sense of belonging with the fake “Miller” family — a cover story created by Jason Sudeikis’ character to avoid suspicion at the border.
During the trip, the group crosses paths with another family, and Kenny develops a crush on their daughter, Melissa.
There’s one catch: he’s never kissed anyone before — something Aniston and Roberts’ characters decide to address in an unforgettable (and very public) lesson.
Speaking to the Independent, Poulter, now 33, said filming the scene felt “really awkward,” adding that his thoughts were focused less on himself and more on his co-stars: his “main concern in that moment was for Jen and Emma, who I felt very sorry for.”
In We’re the Millers, Will Poulter had to kiss both Jennifer Aniston and Emma Roberts in the same scene. He had a really “hard” time
“Aniston took care of me. She knew I was a very nervous 19-year-old, and this was before intimacy coordinators, which we all would’ve appreciated” pic.twitter.com/S8O3v0bBmF
— Emir Han (@RealEmirHan) April 27, 2026
And while the scene made him uncomfortable, he acknowledged it’s one that plenty of people still remember years later. “Blokes shout things about that scene at me or ask weird questions I’ve been asked a million times before,” he said.
Despite the 24-year age difference between him and Aniston, Poulter credited her with helping him get through it. “Jennifer was an amazing sport,” he explained.
“She was very supportive and took care of me, and was aware that, being a 19-year-old kid in that scenario, I was very nervous.”
Poulter also pointed out that an inexperienced young actor is less likely to be thrown into a scene like that today — largely because of an on-set change that has become standard practice across the industry.
Poulter said: “This was before intimacy coordinators, which I really would have appreciated, and I’m sure Emma and Jen would have, too.”