12 Movies You Forgot Starred Ezra Miller

Ezra Miller has been one of the breakout stars of the last decade. Their involvement in recent controversies and scandals has no doubt dampened perceptions of their career and talent (per People). But Miller was at one point a hugely promising star. That's likely why they have had a number of important roles in blockbuster movie franchises recently, including playing The Flash in the DCEU and Credence Barebone in the "Harry Potter" spin-off film series "Fantastic Beasts."

While the actor is best known for their performances in those series, along with high-profile appearances in television shows such as "The Stand" and "Royal Pains," Miller has starred in several less well-known films. These include a collection of indie films, comedies, and dramas in which they have a minor role.

In many cases, people might have forgotten entirely that the actor was in them at all, either because of the small part they play or the more limited releases the films had. Can you remember Miller appearing in these movies?

Written and directed by "Nip/Tuck" producer Richard Levine, who also worked on projects such as "Submission" and "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair," "Every Day" is a comedy-drama that was first released in 2011. It stars Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt as husband and wife Ned and Jeannie. Ned is a scriptwriter who is failing to produce what his boss, Garrett (Eddie Izzard), wants and starts working with a more open-minded writer in Robin (Carla Gugino) as he attempts to rekindle his love of writing.

Miller plays Jonah, the elder of two siblings, who has come out as gay. While accepting his son's sexuality, Ned also worries about what effect this might have on Jonah and the rest of the family. The movie also features "Stranger Things" star David Harbour and noted actor Brian Dennehy of "Death of a Salesman" and "First Blood" fame.

"Every Day" was only released to four theaters, making it a box office flop, grossing just $46,000 against a budget of $3 million. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has an approval of 34% and an audience score of 24%, despite receiving praise from The New York Times, which highlighted the plot and the acting performances of the cast as particularly good.

One of Ezra Miller's earliest feature films, "Beware the Gonzo" was released the same year as "Every Day." However, in this movie, Miller plays the main role of Eddie "Gonzo" Gilman. The high school student sets up his own newspaper with a group of friends after he is forced out of his role writing for the school's official paper. The fact that he highlights the failings of his school and talks about topics that would usually be censored puts him at odds with the principal, and he faces suspension as the underground paper becomes more popular with the rest of the students.

Along with Miller, "Beware the Gonzo" also starred Zoë Kravitz as their love interest, Evie Wallace, along with Griffin Newman, Jesse McCartney, Amy Sedaris, and James Urbaniak. It was written and directed by Bryan Goluboff in his directorial debut, the only theatrical film that he has written besides "The Basketball Diaries."

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 44% based on nine reviews. However, it does have a slightly higher audience score of 47%, suggesting that it found some more success with viewers compared to critics. The actor dated their co-star Kravitz after they met during filming, although the relationship didn't last particularly long.

"Afterschool" marked Ezra Miller's first role in a feature film and started their career in acting following several appearances as an opera singer in various productions (via Interview Magazine). According to New York Magazine, Miller's desire to pursue acting around this time prompted them to quit school and embark on a professional career in Hollywood. Noted arthouse filmmaker Antonio Campos wrote and directed "Afterschool," which went on to make its premiere at Cannes in 2008.

In the movie, Miller portrays Robert, a teenage student who spends almost all of his free time working on various film projects at the private school where he studies. While filming one day, he stumbles across a pair of twins from his school who are dying after taking drugs that have been poisoned. The event is captured on camera and prompts a tightening of rules at the school and a wave of distrust among the students.

Featuring Addison Timlin, Jeremy Allen White, Michael Stuhlbarg, and David Costabile in supporting roles, "Afterschool" is one of Miller's most highly acclaimed movies. It has been Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes thanks to an 80% approval rating, with reviewers praising Miller for their portrayal of Robert. One critic at And So It Begins said that the actor "gives one of the most haunting performances of the year."

Following the release of "Afterschool," Miller was cast in the 2009 Raymond De Felitta-directed film "City Island." The movie, which features Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Emily Mortimer, Steven Strait, and Alan Arkin among the cast, sees Miller take on the role of Vince Jr., the youngest son of protagonist Vince Rizzo (Garcia). The character has a fetish for feeding larger women and takes a liking to the family's next-door neighbor.

Vince is a prison guard and aspiring actor who suddenly discovers he has a secret son (Steven Strait) from a former relationship. Vince brings this 24-year-old to work at his home but doesn't reveal the truth about their relationship, and the dysfunctional family begins to fall apart due to the complex web of lies. When the truth finally comes out, the various family members reconcile and accept Tony into their home while Vince eventually manages to land a role in an upcoming Martin Scorsese film.

Although "City Island" was not a financial success, bringing in just under $8 million worldwide at the box office, it won plaudits from critics. Holding an approval rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is certified as "fresh" according to the review aggregator. It went on to win the Tribeca Film Festival audience award (via The Hollywood Reporter).

"We Need to Talk About Kevin" is one of a trio of films that Miller was involved in that released in 2011, including "Another Happy Day" and the short film "Busted Walk." Directed by Lynne Ramsay after she dropped out of "The Lovely Bones," leaving Peter Jackson to take on directing duties, it was a co-production between BBC Films and several other studios (via IndieWire).

Based on a book by Lionel Shriver, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" focuses on the Khatchadourian family, which is made up of Eva (Tilda Swinton), Kevin (Ezra Miller), Franklin (John C. Reilly), and Celia (Ashley Gerasimovich). Kevin proves to be a difficult child growing up and puts the family under a huge amount of strain and almost causes his parent's divorce. Showing signs of sadism throughout his teenage years, he is eventually sent to prison after carrying out a series of tragic murders. The plot largely follows Eva's attempts to reconcile what has happened and how Kevin turned out the way he did.

Released to critical acclaim and still remembered fondly today, appearing on IndieWire's list of the decade's 100 best movies, "We Need to Talk About Kevin" also was nominated for multiple high-profile awards, including BAFTA nominations for Swinton and Ramsay and critic award nominations for Miller at home and abroad.

The 2014 adaptation of the French novel "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert, this film was directed by Sophie Barthes and features an all-star cast. Some of those involved include "Alice in Wonderland" heroine Mia Wasikowska, "House of the Dragon" actor Rhys Ifans, and "Downton Abbey" regular Laura Carmichael, with Logan Marshall-Green, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and Paul Giamatti all having roles as well.

The story revolves around a young woman named Emma (Wasikowska), who is dissatisfied with her boring life in the country, and her dull but adoring husband Charles (Lloyd-Hughes). Engaging in secret affairs, she spends money on fancy clothes and jewelry but is left having to face her husband when the store owner, Monsieur Lheureux (Ifans), calls in her debt and she is unable to pay what she owes. Miller plays Léon Dupuis, who is romantically interested in Emma.

"Madame Bovary" largely failed to impress critics. Miller, in their first period piece, seemed to have a star on the rise. One review in The Wrap, however, noted, "Ezra Miller and Logan Marshall-Green are both too bland and entirely too modern to make much of an impression as Emma's lovers." Another critic with The Playlist stated similarly that "Ezra Miller's lustful indie-rocker routine is out of place and doesn't work."

As you might have guessed from the name, "The Stanford Prison Experiment" largely focuses on Philip Zimbardo's notorious psychological study at Stanford University. This controversial experiment saw a group of participants separated into roles either as prisoners and guards, recording how the guards would abuse and psychologically torture the inmates after just a few days (via The New Yorker).

The film follows the real-life events closely, depicting how Zimbardo set up the study and how the various participants acted toward one another and quickly became engrossed in their roles. Dr. Christina Maslach (Olivia Thirlby) eventually prompted the study to end after six days due to the ethical concerns she raised. Miller portrays Daniel Culp, a prisoner in the experiment, while Billy Crudup plays Zimbardo. Other cast members included Michael Angarano, Keir Gilchrist, and Tye Sheridan.

Shown at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, the film was nominated for a number of awards and went on to win the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. The movie lost out on the Grand Jury prize to Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl." Critics mostly loved the film, with even its detractors, like Odie Henderson writing for RogerEbert.com observing that actors like Miller were able to breathe some life into their characters and horrific situations.

"Trainwreck" is a 2015 comedy film that stars Amy Schumer and Bill Hader, who meet when Schumer's character, Amy Townsend, is sent to interview sports doctor Aaron Conners (Hader) for an upcoming feature article. The pair quickly bond, but Amy is adamant that she doesn't want to enter a relationship and refuses to date Aaron at first, believing that monogamy is not a realistic or natural system to live by due to her parents' divorce when she was a child.

At one point in the movie, she also hooks up with Donald (Ezra Miller) and shares a bizarre sexual encounter. Donald is a 16-year-old intern who works at Amy's magazine, and his mother inadvertently bursts in on the pair when they are in bed in one of the film's funniest moments. "I've never seen two people have less chemistry," Schumer said about their sex scene. "I love that, though! The horrible dissonance that it causes just when you see the two of us going in to kiss, you're just like, 'Nooooo!'"

Directed by Judd Apatow, "Trainwreck" was well-reviewed when it hit cinemas, largely thanks to the comedy performances of the ensemble, led by Schumer and Hader. That makes it one of Miller's most acclaimed films, even if they do play a relatively minor role. It also proved to be a financial success, with a box office gross of $140 million against a budget of $35 million.

"Asking for It" is a largely unmemorable film that was released in 2022 and stars Kiersey Clemons, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Gabourey Sidibe, and Luke Hemsworth. The film largely focuses on a group of vigilante women who recruit a new member after she is sexually assaulted following a date. This group aims to get justice that society refused to provide for them and sees the gang traveling across the country to confront Mark Vanderhill (Ezra Miller), the pompous and toxic leader of the "Men's First Movement."

Many people will not have even seen "Asking for It," never mind known that Miller was involved. The film, which Miller co-produced as well, was panned by critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of just 23%. IndieWire observed that allegations of harassment and assault against Miller, particularly concerning his interactions with young female fans, made his performance and character strike an uncomfortable note.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Written and directed by Sam Levinson, creator of HBO's "Euphoria," this comedy-drama features Ellen Barkin as Lynn Hellman, the matriarch of her family. Taking place on the eve of her estranged son's wedding, "Another Happy Day" sees Lynn deal with the complex relationships and long-running feuds that have been festering for years.

Throughout the movie, she must contend with her former husband, troublesome parents, and a collection of sisters who take every chance to ridicule and judge her. Miller plays one of Lynn's younger sons, with Kate Bosworth, Demi Moore, Thomas Haden Church, and George Kennedy rounding out the rest of the cast.

"Another Happy Day" made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting award before going on to have a minor theatrical release (per The Hollywood Reporter), opening in only two theaters domestically to the tune of a cumulative $659,937 (it made most of its money in France). Reviews were mixed. IndieWire noted that Miller's character fits the archetype of the actor's early roles — as the drug-addicted Elliot, they play a perfectly unsympathetic, "deplorable" character.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

"Suicide Squad" is a 2016 DCEU movie that focuses on a group of supervillains reluctantly working for Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and the US Government as part of the expendable Task Force X. The team, which includes Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), is assembled from the baddest villains in Belle Reve penitentiary.

In a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, Ezra Miller reprises their role as Barry Allen aka The Flash. The hero makes an appearance in a bank vault to thwart Captain Boomerang, a longtime foe of The Flash's in the comics. All Miller gets in "Suicide Squad" is a one-liner and a speed burst toward camera.

"Suicide Squad" received negative reviews from critics. Despite being a financial success, though, with a box office gross of almost $750 million, the film was mired in behind-the-scenes trouble. However, it did lead to a more widely praised sequel in the form of 2021's "The Suicide Squad," which was directed by James Gunn and features much of the same cast along with some new members of Task Force X. Miller does not return in the soft reboot.

Based on the novel "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, the 2012 film stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller as a trio of high school friends. Lerman plays Charlie, who suffered sexual abuse as a child and suffers from clinical depression, prompting stays in various mental health institutions. He and Watson's character, Sam, share a rocky and sometimes romantic relationship, while Miller plays Patrick, a queer student whose life is turned upside down after he's outed at school.

Chbosky chose to write and direct the movie adaptation of his own novel and had a budget of $13 million for the project (via the Los Angeles Times). The rest of the cast comprises actors such as Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd, Joan Cusack, and Kate Walsh. It received a warm reception from critics and made a little over $33 million at the box office.

While Miller had previously had a number of movie roles, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" effectively launched their career as a leading performer and undoubtedly led to roles in "Justice League" and the "Fantastic Beasts" films. Their performance was praised by The Atlantic, which noted their "giddy, scene-stealing turn" as showing a range that contrasted the psychopathic nature of some of their early characters, namely in "We Need to Talk About Kevin."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).