Ezra Miller's 7 Best And 7 Worst Career Moments

The following article includes allegations that include assault and child abuse.

From their breakout performance in "Afterschool" to becoming part of the DCEU and the "Fantastic Beasts" franchises, Ezra Miller has seen a meteoric rise since bursting onto the scene in 2008. Since then, they have delivered a number of high-profile and widely praised performances in films such as "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin." It makes sense, then, that the actor has gone on to portray characters like The Flash in major properties.

But their career has not been without controversy. While there have been plenty of great moments, Miller has also had some definite low points over the last decade or so. Recent scandals, arrests, and controversies are just some of the examples of where Miller's career has dipped, and many of these controversies have mired their projects in bad press and may have even made them unattractive to movie and television executives (per Vulture).

Miller's life so far has certainly not been smooth sailing, and many people will likely have very negative opinions about the actor now that so many troubling stories have come to light about their behavior. Here, we guide you through the various peaks and troughs of Miller's career so far.

It almost seemed certain that Ezra Miller would venture into a career in show business one way or another. Their father is a publisher, and their mother is a dancer, giving the actor experience in the performing arts from a very early age (via New York Magazine). Yet screen acting was not Miller's first passion. In fact, they were initially a singer who found some success in the opera. According to Interview Magazine, Miller was just 6 years old when they made their debut in a contemporary Philip Glass opera, "White Raven," in New York City.

Although their family background in entertainment undoubtedly gave Miller an advantage, they said they actually only started opera training to cure a speech impediment (via The Daily Beast). They said that speech therapy proved ineffective at treating their stutter, while the voice manipulation and controlled breathing necessary for operatic singing helped them far more. Shortly after making their first appearance on stage, Miller was chosen to join the children's choir as a resident at New York's Metropolitan Opera — a coveted and highly regarded position for someone so young.

There is no doubt that Ezra Miller can be an exceptional performer. Their turns in films such as "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "The Stanford Prison Experiment," and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" prove just that. Even when they have not played leading roles in film, their projects have still occasionally been successful. This was the case with the 2015 comedy "Trainwreck," starring Amy Schumer and Bill Hader. However, like any other actor, Miller has also been involved in some projects that were not quite as successful and stand out for all the wrong reasons.

Early in their career, films like "Every Day" and "Madame Bovary" fell short of expectations, receiving poor reviews and cutting short the actor's momentum. One later career lowlight is the 2022 movie "Asking for It." In the film, Miller plays an awful male chauvinist who becomes an enemy of a group of feminist vigilantes. It is by far the actor's worst-reviewed project. The little-seen film also went straight to streaming, its release likely buried due to Miller's erratic behavior with the press and a violent assault in Iceland that was caught on video as well as an assault the film's director allegedly committed against a trans comedian in April 2022 (per Vulture).

Although Ezra Miller looked set for a career as a singer, they soon began to show an interest in screen acting rather than the opera. After appearances in a number of television shorts, Miller quickly got their big break in Hollywood when they were cast in Antonio Campos' 2008 film "Afterschool."

In the film, Miller's character, Robert, accidentally films the deaths of two classmates in his private school. The film premiered at Cannes in their Un Certain Regard section, garnering Miller wide acclaim for their performance. The experience was enlightening for the actor (per The Hollywood Reporter) and is the big break every young performer dreams of. They quickly dropped out of private school in their junior year to continue a career in acting (per New York Magazine). Over the next few years, the actor appeared in a number of other high-profile films that attracted considerable acclaim and awards, including "Beware the Gonzo" and, most notably, "We Need to Talk About Kevin."

Ezra Miller played Trashcan Man in the 2020 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's novel "The Stand." The CBS All Access streaming series starred the likes of James Marsden, Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgård, and Amber Heard. Several extras who worked on the series told Business Insider that Miller was disruptive on set and often acted in a threatening manner, including shouting erratically and telling racist jokes. "Miller incessantly screeched, spit, and interrupted the director by screaming during filming," one extra claimed. Things apparently were so bad that the other cast and crew did not feel safe around the actor and had to request that their manager address their behavior.

On the set of "Asking for It," many on set claimed the actor behaved unprofessionally, reeking horribly and appearing often to not be focusing on the project. One insider close to Warner Bros.' "The Flash" standalone film said Miller had been difficult to work with on-set (per Rolling Stone). They were described as having frequent periods of instability when they couldn't perform and had frequent meltdowns.

Opera is not the only musical venture Ezra Miller has been involved in during their career. They have been involved with the band Sons of an Illustrious Father since 2011, providing vocals and percussion alongside bandmates Lilah Larson and Josh Aubin (per NME). The group has released several albums and EPs since its inception, although it has never received much acclaim or popularity. The first of these official releases came in 2015, and the band's music has been described as a mix of several different genres, such as punk and folk, and a celebration of queer culture.

One of the most notable moments for Sons of an Illustrious Father came in 2019 when the group released a cover of The Pussycat Dolls song "Don't Cha" (per ET Canada). The dark and morbid music video features Miller dancing with a variety of other performers in a slowed-down version of the song. The group also released a song, "U.S.Gay," in response to the 2016 Orlando Nightclub shooting in Florida (per Indie Magazine).

In 2022, Ezra Miller seemingly wanted to work on a new solo project that came amid the recent controversies surrounding the actor. Speaking to Rolling Stone, music producer Oliver Ignatius and rapper Ghais Guevara explained how they had begun working with Miller in Hawaii and New York, writing songs together.

But according to Ignatius, the group decided to end their relationship several months later when Miller reacted in a hostile manner to one of the songs that the producer was working on, which dealt with feminism and male aggression. Miller then leaked all of the music online without giving any credit to either Ignatius or Guevara. The pair spoke out in an effort to try and solve the matter and force the actor to take down the music, even threatening to take legal action. The producer also said that the entire experience had soured his friendship with Miller, someone he has known since the pair were teenagers.

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was in no way Ezra Miller's first movie role and not even the first one that won them praise for their performance. However, it did mark a new chapter in their career and demonstrate that they were able to be a leading star in a film. There's little doubt that the success of the 2012 movie, which also stars Logan Lerman and Emma Watson, played a major role in Miller's casting in other high-profile projects, from the DC Extended Universe to "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and its sequels.

Directed and written by Stephen Chbosky, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was based on his own novel and tells the story of three high school students who deal with clinical depression, sexuality, and more. It quickly became a small hit, grossing over $33 million against a budget of just $13 million and winning significant acclaim from critics. The Atlantic noted how Miller's performance was a departure for the actor, standing in stark contrast to previous roles where they had portrayed more troubled or psychopathic characters, as in "We Need to Talk About Kevin."

The actor's legal troubles aren't just overseas. In August 2022, Ezra Miller was charged with felony burglary in Vermont (per Variety). In May 2022, police were called to a home in Stamford, Vermont, after a report that the actor had barged into the house and stolen a number of bottles of alcohol while the homeowners were away. Police found probable cause to charge Miller and finally located the actor in August, when they issued them a citation. Miller is scheduled to appear in a Vermont court in September for their arraignment.

More disturbingly, the actor has been housing a young mother and her three children on their 96-acre Vermont farm (per Rolling Stone). Living conditions are allegedly unsafe, with multiple sources alleging guns are "strewn around the home" and that a 1-year-old put a loose bullet in her mouth. The children's father says that Miller flew his wife and children out of their home in Hawaii without his knowledge and that he hasn't been able to see or speak to them since. Miller's property also includes an unlicensed cannabis farm.

When it came time to cast the character of Credence Barebone in the "Harry Potter" spin-off movie "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," Ezra Miller was chosen. The actor appeared alongside Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Zoë Kravitz, Colin Farrell, and Johnny Depp in the films.

The story sees Newt Scamander (Redmayne) and his allies, including Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law), as they attempt to put a stop to the machinations of Gellert Grindelwald (played alternately by Farrell, Depp, and Mads Mikkelsen), who is seeking to put in place a New Wizarding Order. Miller's Barebone is an Obscurial, later revealed to be a Dumbledore in "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald." The character plays an important role in the story, with Grindelwald attempting to use Barebone as a weapon in his war.

According to Miller, who spoke to Pottermore in 2016 after being cast, the part was one that they fought hard to get. The actor had to appeal to Warner Bros. to allow them to be part of the DCEU and "Fantastic Beasts" as the schedules of both franchises would likely clash. However, according to Miller, the studio showed faith in them and made scheduling changes so that they were able to appear.

In 2022, the actor was involved in a number of incidents that caused controversy. In March, Ezra Miller was arrested in Hawaii following an altercation at a bar where customers were singing karaoke (via The Guardian). They were subsequently charged with disorderly conduct and harassment, with police confirming that Miller had forcefully taken a microphone from a woman singing and lunged at a man playing darts.

A couple in Hawaii whom the actor was staying with also filed a restraining order against Miller (per Radar Online). This happened following Miller's release from jail after being charged by police for the incident in the bar. The wife and husband, the latter of whom claims to have bailed Miller out of jail, allege the actor threatened them and stole property, including a passport, social security card, and multiple bank cards, before leaving their home.

Hawaiian police later told the Associated Press that they had received almost a dozen calls about the actor's behavior over the course of a month. By April, Miller had been arrested again in the state after claims they threw a chair at a woman after being asked to leave a party. They were later released from custody, but the investigation remains ongoing (via Variety).

While there was already an actor playing Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) in the "Arrowverse," Ezra Miller was cast as the superhero in the DCEU films. This meant that they would appear in the likes of "Justice League" and other movies in the franchise. Miller made their first appearance in the DCEU in cameos in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad," although the character wouldn't have a significant part until the 2017 release "Justice League."

Miller's casting was first announced in 2014 (per The Hollywood Reporter), and the actor subsequently spoke about how they found the character interesting to play and were excited to explore the hero more (via MTV News). Miller has received praise from critics for their portrayal of Barry Allen, with the Tampa Bay Times saying the performance was one of the highlights of "Justice League" and brought some much-needed humor to proceedings. IGN later highlighted the Flash as being more important to the story in "Zack Snyder's Justice League" and said that Miller's portrayal was perfect for the character.

Two different sets of parents have accused Ezra Miller of acting inappropriately with their underage children. In a report by USA Today, it was revealed that Chase Iron Eyes and Sara Jumping Eagle had filed legal documents to grant a protective order against Miller, whom they allege has groomed their daughter, Tokata Iron Eyes. The filing claims Miller uses "violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions and drugs to hold sway over a young adolescent Tokata." The pair had met in 2016, when Miller was 24 and Takata was 12, at an activist rally at Standing Rock, and the actor later flew her out to London for the premiere of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." Tokata has denied all the claims in social media posts (via The Independent).

The Daily Beast later reported that another mother, of a 12-year-old nonbinary child, had been granted an order of protection against Miller. In court documents, the mother describes an event where Miller reacted angrily at a gathering in her home and became obsessed with her child. Speaking to The Daily Beast, the child said: "It was really uncomfortable. I was really nervous. I was scared to be around them after they'd yelled at my mother and she was crying." After meeting the child, Miller allegedly began "commending [the child's] maturity, asking for their Instagram handle, and offering to pay for them to attend design school. In another encounter, the actor allegedly offered to buy the child horses" (via Vanity Fair). According to the parent, Miller returned several times to the family home, hugging and touching the child but made no more contact after the story about Tokata Iron Eyes became public.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

As part of their role as Barry Allen in the DCEU, Ezra Miller is set to star in a superhero movie focused entirely on their character. The film will see Barry going back in time to try and save his mother from being murdered. This inadvertently opens up the timelines and causes havoc as his time-travel antics lead to him encountering different versions of characters, including Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton's versions of Batman (via Vanity Fair).

"The Flash" movie has had a troubled development, though, and has seen numerous delays. The project has had several different directors (per The Hollywood Reporter), and filming has halted several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the movie is still on track for a release in 2023, significantly later than originally planned. In the meantime, Miller has appeared in the "Arrowverse" TV crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths." Faced with multiple scandals and legal troubles with the actor, however, the film has reportedly been a nightmare for Warner Bros. behind the scenes, with the studio considering canning the film entirely as a last resort (per The Hollywood Reporter).

Ezra Miller may lose their role in the DCEU as Barry Allen, which would be a huge blow. "The Flash" is undoubtedly Miller's biggest role to date, as they will be taking the helm of a $200 million superhero movie (per Cinema Blend), meaning that the controversy surrounding Miller could cost the studio big if it derails the release. It would be impossible to simply replace Miller in the film, as the actor is essentially in every scene and plays several different characters, putting the project in further jeopardy.

Warner Bros. reportedly will keep Miller in the upcoming "The Flash" movie, largely down to the fact that production is so far along, but would drop the actor from the role in the future and would likely not take any part in further DCEU projects (per Deadline). According to studio sources, it is likely that Miller will be replaced by another actor should The Flash appear in follow-up projects. Other options available to the studio are to cancel the film entirely or dump it onto the streaming service HBO Max with little fanfare (via The Hollywood Reporter). Regardless of the path that "The Flash" takes, it's doubtful that Miller's career will fast recover from these scandals.