It was 2007. Garth Jennings, one half of the legendary music video duo Hammer & Tongs, decided to drop a nostalgic, lo-fi bomb on the Sundance Film Festival. That movie was Son of Rambow. It wasn't just a movie about two kids with a camcorder; it was a love letter to the 80s, to friendship, and to the sheer, unadulterated chaos of being a pre-teen with too much imagination and not enough supervision.
The Son of Rambow cast was, frankly, a bit of a gamble. You had Bill Milner, a quiet kid with soulful eyes, and Will Poulter, who looked like he had stepped straight out of a Dickensian street gang. They were unknowns. Today? One of them is a Marvel superhero and the other has carved out a fascinating, eclectic career in indie cinema and prestige television. Watching the film now feels like looking at a time capsule of British talent before they hit the stratosphere.
The Breakout: Will Poulter as Lee Carter
Honestly, it’s hard to talk about the Son of Rambow cast without starting with Will Poulter. He played Lee Carter, the school bully with a heart of gold (eventually) and a penchant for cigarette-stealing and filmmaking. Poulter was only 12 or 13 when they filmed this. You can see the raw charisma already. Most child actors are stiff. Poulter was fluid. He had these incredible, expressive eyebrows that basically have their own acting credit at this point.
After the film, his trajectory was anything but predictable. He didn't just go the "child star" route. He took a massive leap into The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where he played Eustace Scrubb. If you can make people hate you that much in a fantasy film, you’re a good actor. But then he pivoted. We're the Millers gave us the meme that would live forever—the "You guys are getting paid?" face.
But if you really want to see the range Poulter developed, you look at The Revenant. Standing toe-to-toe with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy is no small feat for a young actor. He brought this vulnerability to Jim Bridger that grounded the whole brutal experience. More recently, joining the MCU as Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 felt like the culmination of years of hard work. He’s managed to stay grounded, often speaking out about mental health and the pressures of the industry, which makes his success feel earned.
Bill Milner: The Heart of the Story
Then there’s Bill Milner. In many ways, Milner had the harder job. As Will Proudfoot, he had to play the sheltered, Plymouth Brethren kid who discovers the world through a pirated copy of First Blood. It’s a performance of wide-eyed wonder and eventual heartbreak.
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Milner’s career post-Son of Rambow has been more understated than Poulter's, but no less impressive. He played a young Magneto in X-Men: First Class. That’s a huge gig. He captured the trauma of Erik Lehnsherr with a quiet intensity that matched Michael Fassbender’s older version perfectly.
He didn't chase the blockbuster life, though. Instead, he leaned into interesting, often darker projects. Look at The Lodgers, a gothic horror film, or iBoy on Netflix. He has this "everyman" quality that allows him to disappear into roles. He’s worked steadily in British TV and film, proving that the Son of Rambow cast wasn't just a one-hit wonder of "cute kids." They were actual craftsmen.
The Supporting Players: Where are They Now?
You probably forgot that Jules Sitruk was in this. He played Didier Revol, the impossibly cool French exchange student who becomes a weird cult leader for the school's teenagers. Sitruk was already a bit of a star in France before this, having appeared in Moi César. He’s continued to work extensively in French cinema. He represents that weird, hyper-stylized element of the film that made it so unique.
And then there's the adult cast.
- Jessica Hynes: She played Mary Proudfoot. Hynes is British comedy royalty. Between Spaced and Twenty Twelve, she’s a legend. In Son of Rambow, she provided the emotional anchor.
- Neil Dudgeon: He played Joshua. You might recognize him as the lead in Midsomer Murders. He brought a stern, stifling presence to the Brethren scenes that made Will’s rebellion feel necessary.
- Ed Westwick: Yes, Chuck Bass himself was in the Son of Rambow cast. He played Lawrence, Lee Carter's older, meaner brother. It was right around the time Gossip Girl was blowing up, and seeing him in a parka in the English countryside is a trip.
Why the Casting Worked So Well
Garth Jennings has a knack for finding "real" people. He didn't want polished stage school kids. He wanted kids who looked like they’d actually fall out of a tree or get stuck in a bog. The chemistry between Milner and Poulter wasn't forced; they were actually becoming friends on set. That’s the "secret sauce" of the movie.
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When we look back at the Son of Rambow cast, we’re seeing a moment where the British film industry was really firing on all cylinders. It was a mid-budget movie with a lot of heart. In today's landscape, these kinds of films often get buried on streaming services, but Son of Rambow had a proper theatrical life. It mattered.
The film also dealt with the Plymouth Brethren, a real-life strict Christian sect. The accuracy there was important to Jennings, who grew up in a similar environment. The cast had to navigate that sensitivity while still making a comedy. It’s a delicate balance. If the actors weren't believable, the whole thing would have felt like a parody. Instead, it felt like a memory.
Technical Details and Legacy
Filming took place mostly in Hertfordshire, particularly in Berkhamsted. The Ashridge Estate provided those lush, green backdrops that made the "jungle" scenes of their home movie look so vibrant. The production design was intentionally scrappy.
- Director: Garth Jennings
- Producer: Nick Goldsmith
- Release Year: 2007 (UK) / 2008 (US)
- Budget: Approx. $7 million
The legacy of the Son of Rambow cast is one of longevity. Usually, with child-heavy movies, half the kids disappear into obscurity or the "where are they now" tabloids. Not here. This group stayed professional. They chose roles that challenged them.
Interestingly, the film actually had to get permission from Sylvester Stallone and the creators of Rambo. They were surprisingly cool about it. Stallone reportedly loved the idea. This allowed the production to use actual footage and iconic imagery, which helped the young actors feel like they were part of something bigger.
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Making Sense of the Career Paths
If you're looking for a pattern in the Son of Rambow cast members' careers, it's "versatility."
Will Poulter didn't get pigeonholed as the bully. Bill Milner didn't get stuck playing the victim. They both used the film as a springboard to show they could handle complex emotions. It’s rare. You see it with the Stranger Things kids now, but back in 2007, a small British indie doing this was a big deal.
Watching the movie today, the lo-fi special effects and the grainy film stock remind us of a time before everyone had a 4K camera in their pocket. The cast had to act with a bulky, heavy camcorder. It was physical. It was messy.
Actionable Insights for Cinephiles
If you haven't revisited the film lately, or if you're tracking the careers of these actors, here's what you should do:
- Watch the Hammer & Tongs Music Videos: To understand the visual style the cast was working within, check out Jennings’ work for Blur or Radiohead. It explains the "handmade" feel of the movie.
- Compare and Contrast: Watch Son of Rambow and then immediately watch The Revenant or Guardians 3. Seeing Will Poulter's evolution is a masterclass in how an actor matures.
- Check out the "iBoy" project: It’s a weird one, but seeing Bill Milner as a lead in a modern, tech-focused thriller shows just how far he’s come from the 80s-inspired woods of Hertfordshire.
- Look for the cameos: The film is packed with British character actors. Identifying them is a fun game for anyone who loves UK television.
The Son of Rambow cast remains one of the most successful "youth" ensembles of the 2000s. They didn't just burn out; they grew up and took over the industry. It’s a testament to good casting and a great script that we’re still talking about them nearly twenty years later.
The film's message—that friendship and creativity can save you from a boring or restrictive life—clearly resonated with the actors too. They’ve continued to seek out stories that have that same spark. Whether it's a massive Marvel blockbuster or a tiny play in a London basement, the DNA of Lee Carter and Will Proudfoot is still there.