After ‘The Flash,’ Ezra Miller Will Be Too ‘Radioactive’ to Hire in Hollywood, Redditors Say
Plenty of stars have seen their careers tank following celebrity scandals. They’ve disappeared from the spotlight, never to be heard from again. Though Hollywood doesn’t have an official blacklist, some scandals make certain celebs too “radioactive” to touch. Ezra Miller may have become one such persona non grata. But is the actor’s future as the Flash really in jeopardy?
Ezra Miller has racked up a string of scandalous headlines
It’s probably tough to be a star without one or two questionable headlines popping up during your career. However, once your name becomes associated with nothing but scandal, your career is definitely headed for trouble. Ezra Miller appears to be headed in that direction.
According to Deadline, Miller’s list of “unflattering headlines” just keeps growing. Looming at the top is the actor’s involvement with 18-year-old Tokata Iron Eyes. The teen’s parents say Miller began contacting their child when Tokata was only 12 years old. The actor is accused of grooming and brainwashing the teen and providing them with drugs and alcohol.
Miller traveled with Tokata around the world, continually moving so their parents were unable to locate their child. Tokata’s parents recently filed paperwork requesting an order of protection on the teen’s behalf. Miller recently deleted social media accounts, possibly in an effort to keep their location a secret.
The actor had a well-documented history of alleged violence and instability before the scandal with Tokata. Miller was arrested in Hawaii for assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment this past March. Shortly after those incidents, a couple that Miller had been living with filed a restraining order against the actor. Miller allegedly threatened to “bury” them. The actor allegedly also stole a passport and wallet from the couple.
In April 2020, a video surfaced showing what appears to be Miller choking a woman and throwing her to the ground. The alleged incident occurred at a venue in Iceland when the actor reportedly became annoyed with fans.
These headlines paint a picture of an easily agitated person who seems to think they are above the law.
Has Ezra Miller become too ‘radioactive’ to hire in Hollywood?
Fans recently took to Reddit to discuss Ezra Miller’s potential Hollywood downfall. The thread began as a discussion about actors that fans are tired of seeing in movies, and one Redditor added Miller to the list of undesirable actors.
“Pretty sure he’s going to be blacklisted going forward, he’s become too radioactive for any studio to handle just like Armie Hammer,” Reddit user Brown_Panther- wrote.
Call Me by Your Name star Armie Hammer was recently embroiled in controversies involving claims of sexual abuse and cannibalism. The allegations remain unproven, but Hammer’s acting career screeched to a halt. The Redditor’s comparison of Miller’s and Hammer’s careers might not be far off the mark, especially considering Miller’s multiple arrests and restraining orders filed against them.
Most Redditors in the thread seemed to agree.
“Ezra’s a liability,” one user wrote. No more acting career going forward.”
Another Miller follower shared their amazement over the situation:
“It’s baffling. Imagine being that good looking AND that talented and still deciding to throw it all away.”
Another commenter wondered if Miller’s previous roles affected the actor’s personality: “I also realized he played the sociopathic teen in ‘We need to talk about Kevin,’ which makes me wonder if that movie’s casting director was just really good at picking up on dark tendencies or if perhaps playing a role like that, as protected as they could film it, had some negative effect.”
Although many people think Ezra Miller’s career is over, just as many believe the actor can make a comeback.
“I genuinely would put money on Miller eventually getting work from, like, some European auteur who wants to make some kind of bullshit anti-‘Cancel Culture’/’Look How Edgy And Dangerous I Am’ statement. It won’t be for nearly the kind of money Miller was making before they went nuclear, but even so, work is work.”
Others think Hollywood studio execs will put a public relations spin on the situation if The Flash becomes a box-office hit after its anticipated June 2023 release. “He’ll be blacklisted unless Flash makes insane money, then they’ll bring out the PR teams.”
The actor has a history of playing unstable characters
As one of the Redditors mentioned, Ezra Miller has portrayed several unstable characters — and played them well. In 2011, the actor portrayed a homicidal teen in We Need to Talk About Kevin. The psychological thriller details the childhood of Kevin (told from his mother’s point of view), who has just committed a school shooting.
Though not all of Miller’s roles have been quite as dark as that one, the actor often lands parts as slightly strange outsiders. IMDb mentions Miller’s critically acclaimed performance in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) as a misunderstood, bullied gay prankster. The character provided comedic relief and was a fan favorite.
In the 2015 comedy Trainwreck, Miller portrayed a weird magazine intern with a dark, kinky side. That year was a busy one for the actor, as Miller also appeared in The Stanford Prison Experiment. The film was about a 1971 Stanford University study about the psychological effects of being a prison inmate or guard. The real study took a dark turn, having profound physical and psychological affects on the participants. People involved in the film were concerned the actors might have similar negative experiences.
“There was an inherent danger that we were all aware of, in terms of simulating a simulation and maybe falling into that M.C. Escher painting and probably getting stuck there,” Miller said during a panel discussion (via The Guardian. “I think to [director Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s] credit, we were all vetted. I think there were some background checks.”
One has to wonder whether roles like those have scarred Miller.
