Ezra Miller was once poised to be a big star in Hollywood. But nowadays, there’s a question mark on their career. As Warner Bros. Discovery gears up to release the highly anticipated The Flash movie, the internet is abuzz about the actor’s actions.
Some think that Miller should never have a career again, while others are of the view that the star was suffering a mental breakdown and should be given a chance to correct themselves. It is regarding the lack of mental health support that even Miller had spoken out about a decade back.
Ezra Miller Complained About Hollywood’s Disregard For Actor’s Mental Health
Ezra Miller was caught on video assaulting a fan in Iceland, rumored to be leading a cult, and allegedly terrorizing some residents of Hawaii. That’s not all. The Perks of Being a Wallflower star was also accused of grooming an underage activist. In a 2022 statement, the Justice League actor said, “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior.”
About a decade before this went down, Ezra Miller starred in We Need to Talk About Kevin with Tilda Swinton. The movie was made on a budget of $7 million and grossed around $10.8 million at the box office. Centered on the titular character, played by Miller, the film explored the mental journey of a teenage sociopath who committed mass murder.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, Miller talked about the lack of on-set therapists and psychologists that made it difficult for them to enter into the headspace of a violent character safely. He said:
“Usually, you have the on-set medic. For [We Need to Talk About Kevin], there should have definitely been an on-set psychologist. Alas, we were all left to our own devices to self-soothe in the face of such dark subject matter.”
So how did Miller portray such an intense and disturbed character? The actor depended on their friends and self-soothing methods, like music.
How Did Ezra Miller Successfully Play The Role Of A Sociopath?
In the interview with Vanity Fair, Miller explained that they were able to play the role of the titular character in We Need To Talk About Kevin because they used to self-soothe themselves. But most of the time, the actor let themselves stay absorbed in the mentality of the character. They said:
“I essentially allowed myself to be in a state of emotional discomfort during the time that we were making that film, but we did occasionally play music together—the writer [Rory Kinnear], the director [Lynne Ramsay], John C. Reilly, and the cinematographer, Seamus McGarvey. Loud, goofy music playing was one of the best methods of self-soothing. For the most part, though, I ignored the self-soothing and allowed myself to exist in the emotional and physical discomfort that is true to the character.”
Miller was also asked if they faced any trouble bringing themselves back into a normal state after playing such a violent person. To this, The Flash star explained that they had faith in their own goodness and the support of their friends. Miller said:
“I always had enough faith that there was some goodness in myself that would await me on the other side of the abyss. I held confidence that even if I couldn’t do it, my friends and family could potentially pull me back. While making the film, I decided to not worry about it and take that leap.”
Many online have pointed at Miller’s attraction to violent sociopathic roles as a precursor for their real-life actions. But others have said that those people are just mistakenly conflating the life of an actor and the work of an artist. Whatever the reason might be, today, Ezra Miller’s future in Hollywood isn’t looking too good.
We Need to Talk About Kevin is available on Amazon Prime Video, and The Flash releases on 16 June 2023.
Source: Vanity Fair
