Thankful for... Ben Miller!
Monday, November 22, 2021 at 6:00PM 
This year for our "thankful for" column we're doing things differently. I'm interviewing the team so you can get to know them better. First up, BEN MILLER.
Ben joined Team Experience in the summer of 2017. He lives in Texas with his wife and kids. Like most of us here at TFE he's into Oscars and the related niche trivia fascinations that come with that. In the few years he's been at TFE he's revealed impeccable taste in actresses, caught up with classics he'd missed like Cabaret and reviewed a lot of TV including the final season of Game of Thrones. And though he called his own piece on connecting with his son through WALL•E "corny," I personally love his family man perspective. Sometimes sentiment is earned!
OUR THANKSGIVING QUESTIONNAIRE FOLLOWS...
Okay, Ben, when did you first fall in love with the movies?
BEN MILLER: When I was 7, my dad prepped me for Jurassic Park by talking about the sound design. That made me start looking at films differently. It was an incredible cinematic experience and I wanted more.
Which current star do you feel truly grateful for?
BEN MILLER: Riz Ahmed. One of the most exciting talents in the last few years who has little desire for fame and cares much more about his craft.
Tis this season to be thankful. What wouldn't you have wanted to live without this past year?
-Young vibrant actresses delivering powerhouse performances: Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby), Agathe Rousselle (Titane), Taylour Paige (Zola), Patti Harrison (Together Together), Emila Jones (CODA)
-The availability to watch great films at home (so I don't have to leave my kids)
- The increasing quality of kids films
- Any streaming service that puts a film from before 1970 on rotation
- Continued health and happiness - emphasis on the health
Choose your favourites, Ben!
If you were to magically win an Oscar, who would you thank in your acceptance speech?
I would like to thank my wife, who definitely tolerates my shit better than any other person on the planet.
You're throwing a Thanksgiving dinner feast. You can invite 5 movie characters. Go!
1) Tommy DeVito (GoodFellas) - the man can tell a story.
2) Maggie Carlton (The Mating Season) - Gene Tierney might be the most beautiful person on the planet at this time, so eye candy. But she is also very pleasant.
3) M. Gustave (The Grand Budapest Hotel) - Someone to chat and hit on my aunts, for comedic value.
4) Paddington Bear (Paddington) - Pleasantries, plus kid's entertainment.
5) Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) - Fun solutions to problems, plus I appreciate anyone who can be bitchy without being a bitch.
Ben is on Twitter, Letterboxd, Linktree, and his personal blog Ice Cream 4 Freaks. And if you follow Ben on Instagram you'll see photos of his beautiful family as well as frequent gym pics, the latter of which make us feel exceptionally lazy; he's totally committed!
Reader Comments (2)
Loved reading this and getting to know you a little better :)
The story about your dad and JURASSIC PARK reminds me of something similar that happened to me. When I was young, my dad was watching MALCOLM X at home and, seeing I was also paying attention to the screen, started talking to me about the camerawork, how Spike Lee got the moon to look that big, how Denzel glided through the screen. It was probably the first time I thought about the magic of moviemaking, the technical and formalist game at hand. To this day, I'm a big Spike Lee fan because my dad introduced me to his cinema and an aspect of the art form I had never considered before.
Also, after reading that list of actress-y achievements, I feel like I need to watch TOGETHER TOGETHER tout de suite.
Now you've both got me thinking about early film memories with my dad. Here's mine: He checked out "Irma la Douce" from the library when I was about 9. He laughed his head off, but I was stressed out the entire movie because I could see the flaw in the plan and Jack Lemon couldn't. I think that made my dad laugh even harder.