Miles Teller?
Friday, August 7, 2015 at 8:24AM 
I don't know quite what to make of the controversy over Miles Teller's Esquire interview other than to say "congratulations, Esquire for getting people talking."
Love the snarky tagline on the cover...
Newman? Brando? Mitchum? Nah, It's Miles Teller
Mr Teller thinks the profile is misrepresenting and his famous friends are mad about it. And yet it feels accurate based on past public douchiness. Defensive fans think the author Anne Peele is the dickish one. And, well, it does feel accurate that she went into this an angle. On the other hand maybe she came up with that angle after being presented with the evidence? Celebrity profiles aren't easy to write. I've had to rescue two interview / profiles in the past where the celebrity was not making it easy to make them look good (no I'm not sharing the names) and I'm proud of the way both pieces turned out but it might have been easier to go with a " ____ is kind of a jerk" angle.
Still, I don't think this is as damning as others do and it's a good juicy read (especially the part about getting dumped from Damien Chazelle's Whiplash follow up La La Land). And I don't think it's helping Miles to be upset about it. Stars rarely come off well when bitching about how the press presents them (think Russell Crowe / Christian Bale). A lot of male stars are, in fact, rewarded for cocky arrogance and bro personas. He's hardly an original in this regard so this won't turn people off of his talent.
So... POP QUIZ POLL
Reader Comments (36)
He's brilliant in Rabbit Hole and since then colour me not impressed. The guy needs to shut his mouth because it's clear he does these movies for the money (who doesn't?) but we don't need to hear it every time his big budget movies come out.
I thought he was aweful in Rabbit Hole. Like, I was being punished for my sins.
All I've been hearing for the past few years is how much of an a-hole he is; this, and the fact that he tried to get the male-male kiss in 21 and Over removed, then bitched about it to the press, makes me believe the article as accurate.
The article reads like a hit piece - and it's hard to write something about an actor's clueless douchiness without coming off condescending, which I don't think the writer avoids.
But I also gather she was brought to a breaking point by spending so much time with such an insufferable little prick, so fair enough. Maybe he'll learn some professionalism.
For the record, I think he's amazing in Rabbit Hole, and very good in The Spectacular Now, too.
The only shocking thing about this article was that people were surprised, because (like you already said) he had been a dick a few times before. He's clearly talented (see Rabbit Hole and Whiplash), but also clearly a dick. Moving on...
I wouldn't call myself a massive fan of his, but I really have loved the work of his I've seen, that being said. The way it was written really put me off. Sure, he's probably kind of a dick, but the writer came off like she had a personal vendetta against him or something.
And I hate reading things written in second person. But that's more of a personal gripe.
I had not heard much about his alleged dickishness, but the "joke" about the glass being modeled after his dick is...not helpful. I doubt he's as bad as Shia LaDouche, but he's certainly not as interesting as Shia.
I think he's as egomaniacal and insecure as every other actor -- but he's dumb enough to act this way publicly.
Now that's an armpit I like to see!
Who cares if he is a dick or not, if I like his performance that's all that matters. If he really is like that in real life sooner or later the studios will stop hiring him because no one wants to be on set with an a-hole no matter how talented they are. That Esquire article is badly written and wears its very nasty agenda on it's sleeve.
It also seems like a true-life Entourage plot point. Like Jeremy Piven would call the tiny manager man and be like, "don't let Vinny see the Esquire interview."
Eh, he definitely falls in the camp of actor I would never want to know personally, but since the odds of that are low, who cares...He was good in The Spectacular Now and fantastic in Whiplash (I think he deserved an Oscar nod, personally), both of which tapped pretty cannily into his dickish affect but added layers. Interested to see what he does next that isn't a wannabe blockbuster.
He's always come off as a dick. Some people don't care about that fact, others do. Miles isn't conventionally attractive or done that much to really warrant such an ego so I think it's a little weird for people.
Also I will never forget that the interviewer had to cut his meat for him.
Of course he is a huge dick.
Everyone basically is, but yes, he is stupid enough to show it in a frickin interview.
I mean, he called Joaquin Phoenix "Joaq", dude I bet he doesn't even know that you exist.
I love him in Rabbit Hole, and the double treat with Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now. Then they both became dumb celebrities.
I think he's given great performances (Rabbit Hole and Footloose), and he seems like a dick, but not as much of a dick as people seem to be saying the article represents him as (I think it paints him more as just a bit childish rather than flat out offensive).
I have never really responded to his performances, mostly because he just always reminds me of the douchey private school bros I had to suffer in college. (And I mean this is the vibe I got off him before any of the real life douchiness started to appear). But Rami, I think the thing that is bothering me most about the response to this has been the "who cares if he sucks in real life, he's talented" argument. Which is probably true, but it would never apply to a woman. If I woman came across this unpleasant in multiple interviews her career would take a major hit, and then actors like Sean Penn have histories of violent domestic abuse but is continually celebrated as one of the best actors of his generation. (Not to compare a little dick like Teller to Penn's violence). I find myself getting annoyed by the male free pass.
Isn't the male lead in "La La Land" also supposed to be a drummer? For that reason alone I can see why Chazelle would decide not to use Teller again, seems like it would be too distracting a callback.
Man, when was the last time anyone thought about that "Footloose" remake?
I HATE his screen persona. I think I might like Rabbit Hole, The Spectacular Now and Whiplash better without him. Just can't with the douchiness eventhough sometimes that's what the role called for. Thank Chazelle for not picking him for La La Land.
I honestly wasn't aware of Miles Teller's bad reputation. I thought he was brilliant in "Whiplash," stood toe-to-toe with Goddess Nicole in "Rabbit Hole", and helped made those "Divergent" dreck films bearable. (Haven't seen "The Spectacular Now" yet.) But hey, this article did read like a hit job, and "journalists" (even those that write for Esquire) should be held to a higher standard than that. So whatever.
He's dreadful in interviews? Wasn't aware of that. Haven't even watched Whiplash; however; his Rabbit Hole work = Best Supporting Actor nod, easily!
I wonder how Shia LaBoeuf feels about Miles Teller lol. He's like Shia if Shia was ever given vehicles to deliver on his brooding manic talent.
What a strange article. Reads like she has a personal vendetta against him the way she picks apart every little comment he made. (I also hate the second-person pov; you are not writing a choose-your-own-adventures book.)
I do feel bad for actors sometimes. If I (or anyone) have to be judged in perpetuity by any direct quotes or bad jokes that are made at the spur of the moment, people would probably think I am a dick too. We all say weird stuff that we wished we could take back, right? And I much rather read interviews like this -- the quotes from Teller, not the "commentary" -- then the cut-and-dry variety we see. To have a few commenting he is "dumb enough" to show his real thoughts/quirks is unfortunate.
Also, milk tea is excellent. The author write about food in New York. Maybe go out more?
Sadly i wasn't in Tisch when he was a student, but man i wish i was to get a good inside scoop. I do remember John Cameron Mitchell coming for a Rabbit Hole Q and A and he was super nice, but Miles didn't show up. So can't say, but the article was written in an unfair manor i believe. Not to say he isn't a dick but come on should an article say that.
He's a very good actor. MVP of Whiplash for me.
I do not know how his performance is Rabbit Hole was that special unless you are a major Kidman fan and were impressed that he was not completely overshadowed I guess. I he seem not only dickish but pretty dum as well. Sure there are worse in Hollywood but he has been like this in so many interviews. Like he did not know who J.K Simmons was and like good for him for his commercials or something while it sounds he thought he would deserve Oscars. You would think someone in his PR team would advice him a bit how to give interviews.
It's a bit deadly for an actor to be largely known as a dick (Shia LePoof), so I don't like him and probably never will. Big fat dick.
In interviews, and some of his performances (like The Spectacular Now) he just comes off as a poor man's Vince Vaughn (which is going some), trying to do the smart fast talking banter thing, sometimes more successfully than others. Whiplash was the first time one of his performances genuinely worked for me, and it *really* worked - he's great in the role, and between that and Spectacular Now he's obviously trying to put together a body of work that's worth something. As long as that continues, I don't much care about the rest, but it does sound like I should continue to avoid his personal appearances, magazine profiles, etc. I'm usually pretty good at just taking actors for their performances and leaving their personal lives aside, but undistilled douchiness is tough to overlook.
He's definitely a dick; I can't stand him - he comes across as a douche in everything, in all of the roles he's played - with the sole exception of Rabbit Hole. He's not capable of playing anything other dickish characters, which is a pretty solid indicator that he's probably a dick IRL as well. Being an obnoxious-smart-ass-but-still-charming-on-screen is something only Robert Downey Jr. can pull off.
I loved Whiplash, if only for getting to see JK Simmons yell and torture him for two hours - I was in heaven watching that movie.
I just saw Fantastic Four has 9% on Rotten Tomatoes - made my fuckin' day!!
Don't really care if Miles Teller is a dick or not. He was Oscarworthy in "Whiplash," and some of that J.K. Simmons lovefest should have extended his way (but there were too many Brit guys to nominate instead, argh!). Also, that wifebeater pic made me hard.
I agree with kin: I think he comes across badly but it does seem as though that would be unavoidable given the tone of the article, and I to would have to be judged by the odd rash comment I make. To me, he comes across as a young guy whose persona has not been honed to bland perfection by the Hollywood PR machine.
P.S. Someone should make a Dean Martin biopic and cast him, as he looks so similar to the young Dean and, with the right director, could be good in the part.
That should have been "I too would hate to be judged..." etc.
There are so many men who are bigger dicks in Hollywood, why would I bother hating Miles Teller? Mel Gibson the racist homophobe, Sean Penn the abuser of women, Tom Cruise the Scientlogy freak, etc. Frankly, I think Ed Norton seems like a dick for complaining about Oscar campaigns after being a willing participant in them, but that's a different thread. (You know he'll participate next time he gets a worthy role, whereas other actors just avoid it or do as little as they can.)
I'm not going to be a Miles Teller fan, but a few immature comments, borne of insecurity, don't bother me.
Sometimes profound insecurity translates into... this. I didn't think his performance in Whiplash was a godsend. Poor guy's too big for his britches already..
Also, this article from Cinema Blend (http://goo.gl/hx7Iqh) also makes Damien Chazelle look like a superficial sell-out. This whole situation is very Maps to the Stars-y, without the incest. Hollywood is a gnarly place, y'all.