The wild world of Ezra Miller has made headlines for all the wrong reasons for the best part of the last year. These have ranged from assaulting a fan in a bar in Iceland, terrorizing the residents of Hawaii, being accused of grooming and kidnapping a child, being charged with felony burglary, or just hiding out on a ranch surrounded by an ominous arsenal of guns.
None of this bodes well, though with gossip building of blockbuster The Flash being canceled, Miller recently attempted to draw a line under events by releasing a statement saying:
Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment. I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”
Miller will next be seen in Mary Harron’s Dalíland, which features them in a small role as a young Salvador Dalí (the focus is on Ben Kingsley’s older Dalí). Harron has been interviewed by Vanity Fair (as reported by Variety) about Miller’s inclusion in the movie, particularly as rumors were building their role would be cut after they were omitted from the cast list:
“It might have been different, especially if we were shooting, if there had been bad behavior during that. But this all happened after the film was not only filmed, but edited and mixed and done. I also felt like everybody shot all those things in good faith. Nothing bad happened during our filming, and the film is the film.”
But Harron went on to say that she thinks Miller needs “a serious intervention”:
“I’m not condoning anything they’ve done wrong. I think it doesn’t matter how talented someone is, if they’ve done anything wrong, they have to face it. I also think that clearly this is not just a young star acting out. This is much more serious. This seems like something that needs a serious intervention, which I hope has happened.”
And as for Miller’s work on Dalíland?
“They turned in a completely realized performance. They were very professional and nice to everybody. There was no trouble or a sign of trouble on set. So it was very upsetting and terrible to read what happened later. Reading this stuff was very sad—very sad for everybody involved. Hopefully they are getting help for what sounds like a very, very serious break.”
We suspect the Ezra Miller rollercoaster isn’t over yet, though judging by their contrite statement, someone has most likely told them what the consequences will be if they single-handedly bring down Warner Bros’ $200 million plus summer 2023 tent pole blockbuster. Though if history has shown anything in the land of Hollywood, it’s that studios are willing to let a lot slide.
Dalíland will close the Toronto Film Festival on 18 September and The Flash will theoretically speed into theaters on 23 June 2023.
