‘The Flash’ director sheds further light on Ezra Miller’s mental health breakdown and recovery

Ezra Miller has been the main talking point during the early screening of The Flash at CinemaCon — and it makes sense, considering the actor has faced so much controversy prior to the film’s release. While people discussed the actor’s potential future in the DCU, another topic that was discussed was Miller’s recovery.

Since the controversies started in 2022, it was reported that Miller needed a “serious intervention” and had no plans to cut them from the upcoming superhero blockbuster. In an interview with Vanity Fair, The Flash director Andrés Muschietti commented on the efforts made for Miller’s mental health recovery. He stated that Miller took steps to deal with their mental health issues and was committed to getting better.

“[They’re] taking the steps to recovery, [they’re] dealing with mental health issues, but [they’re] well. We talked to them not too long ago, and [they’re] very committed to get better.”

Aside from his comments on Miller’s recovery, Muschietti praised the actor’s commitment to the role, which could explain why the movie’s first cut was four hours long. According to Muschietti, Miller tends to push himself and ask to do scenes repeatedly, even when the director thinks he got what he wanted. At the end of the day, at least according to Muschietti, working with Miller was one of the best actors he ever got to work with.

“Ezra is an extraordinary actor. “[They were] probably one of my…not probably, [they’re] one of my best experiences working with an actor—ever. [They’re] brilliant. [Their] contributions are constant, and also, [they like] to play and do more takes than I do, which is a lot. So, take 24, I’m like, ‘I think we’re done.’ They say, ‘Can we do one more?’ ‘Yeah, of course.’”

Muschietti has also commented on how Miller was able to perform two versions of Barry Allen, where one was faced with trauma and the other was more carefree. His performance was one of the things that was praised a lot during the early screening, and the reactions on social media don’t lie. 

“They are full of incredible emotions. They bring them to the set every time. I saw them playing Barry in other pictures. I thought they [were] funny, but when I started working with them, I realized that [they’re] an incredible comedian. They were playing two versions of the same character, two versions that are diametrically opposed—the Barry that we all know, that is neurotic, anxious, full of hardships, childhood trauma, and whatnot, coping with all of that, and the Barry that is basically none of that. He’s absolutely carefree and a bit of a goofball—and an idiot.”

Miller has faced plenty of controversies, which involve assaults, burglaries, harassment, and drugs. Since then, there were numerous reports about the actor’s future with DC since they claimed that they’re leaving the superhero franchise after the solo film. At the same time, there were reports in the past that Miller isn’t returning regardless of the film’s performance. But based on what’s being said right now, and the reception the film got during its CinemaCon screening, Miller’s future as The Flash remains up in the air.

Muschietti was commenting on the overall feasibility of a sequel, but may as well have been referring to the actor with the optimistic observation, “we can’t predict the future …but this is a movie about beginnings and not endings, and I certainly hope so.”

We’ll see.