diff --git a/packages/core/src/entity/EntityHelper.ts b/packages/core/src/entity/EntityHelper.ts
index 55d452e54168..6b157cbf5a78 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/entity/EntityHelper.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/entity/EntityHelper.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { inspect } from 'util';
 
 import { EntityManager } from '../EntityManager';
-import { AnyEntity, Dictionary, EntityMetadata, EntityProperty } from '../typings';
+import { AnyEntity, Dictionary, EntityMetadata, EntityProperty, Populate } from '../typings';
 import { EntityTransformer } from './EntityTransformer';
 import { LockMode } from '../unit-of-work';
 import { Reference } from './Reference';
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import { WrappedEntity } from './WrappedEntity';
 
 export class EntityHelper {
 
-  static async init<T extends AnyEntity<T>>(entity: T, populated = true, lockMode?: LockMode): Promise<T> {
+  static async init<T extends AnyEntity<T>, P extends Populate<T> = Populate<T>>(entity: T, populated = true, populate?: P, lockMode?: LockMode): Promise<T> {
     const wrapped = entity.__helper!;
     const em = wrapped.__em;
 
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export class EntityHelper {
       throw ValidationError.entityNotManaged(entity);
     }
 
-    await em.findOne(entity.constructor.name, entity, { refresh: true, lockMode });
+    await em.findOne(entity.constructor.name, entity, { refresh: true, lockMode, populate });
     wrapped.populated(populated);
     wrapped.__lazyInitialized = true;
 
diff --git a/packages/core/src/entity/WrappedEntity.ts b/packages/core/src/entity/WrappedEntity.ts
index dae13931120a..0e082bb555ff 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/entity/WrappedEntity.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/entity/WrappedEntity.ts
@@ -3,12 +3,13 @@ import { EntityManager } from '../EntityManager';
 import { Platform } from '../platforms';
 import { MetadataStorage } from '../metadata';
 import { EntityValidator } from './EntityValidator';
-import { AnyEntity, Dictionary, EntityData, EntityMetadata, Primary } from '../typings';
+import { AnyEntity, Dictionary, EntityData, EntityMetadata, Populate, Primary } from '../typings';
 import { IdentifiedReference, Reference } from './Reference';
 import { EntityTransformer } from './EntityTransformer';
 import { AssignOptions, EntityAssigner } from './EntityAssigner';
 import { EntityHelper } from './EntityHelper';
 import { Utils } from '../utils';
+import { LockMode } from '../unit-of-work';
 
 export class WrappedEntity<T extends AnyEntity<T>, PK extends keyof T> {
 
@@ -64,8 +65,8 @@ export class WrappedEntity<T extends AnyEntity<T>, PK extends keyof T> {
     return EntityAssigner.assign(this.entity, data, options);
   }
 
-  init(populated = true): Promise<T> {
-    return EntityHelper.init<T>(this.entity, populated) as Promise<T>;
+  init<P extends Populate<T> = Populate<T>>(populated = true, populate?: P, lockMode?: LockMode): Promise<T> {
+    return EntityHelper.init<T>(this.entity, populated, populate, lockMode) as Promise<T>;
   }
 
   get __primaryKey(): Primary<T> {
diff --git a/packages/core/src/typings.ts b/packages/core/src/typings.ts
index d89477647a57..d913614d7862 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/typings.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/typings.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export type QBFilterQuery<T = any> = FilterQuery<T> & Dictionary | FilterQuery<T
 export interface IWrappedEntity<T extends AnyEntity<T>, PK extends keyof T, P = never> {
   isInitialized(): boolean;
   populated(populated?: boolean): void;
-  init(populated?: boolean, lockMode?: LockMode): Promise<T>;
+  init<P extends Populate<T> = Populate<T>>(populated?: boolean, populate?: P, lockMode?: LockMode): Promise<T>;
   toReference<PK2 extends PK = never, P2 extends P = never>(): IdentifiedReference<T, PK2> & LoadedReference<T, P2>;
   toObject(ignoreFields?: string[]): Dictionary;
   toJSON(...args: any[]): Dictionary;