Ezra Miller has given their first public comments since being mired in a string of controversies and legal troubles.
The actor, who plays the lead role in DC superhero film The Flash, attended the film’s premiere on Monday (12 January) where, according to reports, they were given a “rock star welcome”.
Miller’s troubles began when a video surfaced on Twitter in 2020 that appeared to show the actor choking a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland. No charges were ever brought against Miller over the incident.
The actor was also accused of grooming and “psychologically manipulating, physically intimidating and endangering the safety and welfare” of 18-year-old indigenous activist Tokata Iron Eyes.
In an interview with The Independent, the teenager’s father claimed Miller supplied them with alcohol, marijuana and LSD during their friendship, which dated back to when Iron Eyes was 12. Tokata Iron Eyes vehemently denied allegations that they were abused or groomed by the actor.
In May 2022, Miller was charged with alleged alcohol theft in the state of Vermont. Local police said in a statement that they had received a complaint that several bottles of alcohol had been stolen from an address in County Rd in Stamford on 1 May this year.
The actor, who uses they/them pronouns, issued an apology in August 2022, explaining that they had been “suffering complex mental health issues”.
According to Variety, Miller thanked the DC team – including James Gunn and Peter Safran, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Warner Bros Film Group bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy – for “your grace and discernment and care in the context of my life”.
The actor also thanked them for “bringing this moment to fruition”, seemingly addressing the film’s many delays amid a threat of a boycott by fans.
Speaking to director Andy Muschietti, Miller said: “I love you, maestro. I think you’re amazing, and I think your work is monumental.”
It was Miller’s first professional appearance in almost two years.
Find The Independent’s review of DC supehero mash-up The Flash here, in which critic Clarisse Loughrey calls it a “morally tricky” film to enjoy due to Miller’s legal troubles.
