Miles Teller Is Allowed To Be a Dick

Miles Teller is currently known as two things: 1) a talented young actor on the verge of becoming one of the most sought-after in his generation and 2) an arrogant wiseass. Guess what though – he’s allowed to be both.
A year ago, an Esquire interview pegged Teller as a total douche, a guy who came off really cocky and referred to Joaquin Phoenix as “Joaq.” Look, there’s no apologizing for that nickname. But it stands as one of the only public faults Teller has made, and that includes his recent blonde hair. The interview clearly had the the agenda of emphasizing his “dickishness”, and no matter how much he actually contributed to that or not, it did perhaps slow his shooting star down just a bit. Teller seemed to take the time post-Fantastic Four and all the reviews that came with it, to focus on the movies he was currently shooting: this week’s War Dogs, and the already-buzzy Bleed For This. You’ll be hearing about the latter, the inspirational movie about boxer Vinny Pazienza’s major comeback, come award season.
So let’s just examine a few facts. Teller is a man:
– in his late 20s
– objectively attractive
– aware of his talents
– desired (by fans, directors and studios alike)
– has a model girlfriend
– has cool bro friends he travels around the world with
– part of cool and exciting films (and receiving money for participating in them)
– including being the star of Whiplash, a film nominated for Best Picture at the 2015 Oscars, where he also served as a presenter
…How much of a dick would you be if you had all those things? I’m willing to guess a HUGE dick. It’s nearly impossible not to be. The best acting young actors do is when they try to come off as modest during promotion for the blockbusters they are participating in. While I don’t believe Teller to be nearly as obnoxious as he’s been painted, fine, let’s assume that he is. Good!

So wait, what does this mean? That there’s a young dude walking around feeling overly confident about himself? Oh my God, one of those has never existed before, how do we handle it? Yes, that is sarcasm and yes, I just might be a Miles Teller apologist.
He’s an actor, so any mildly ridiculous things he says in interviews is really pure entertainment. Which is good news for us. Most celebrities these days have studied the teachings of Taylor Swift (Chapter 4: How To Make a Surprised Face Even Though You Knew You Were Winning That Award) and any answer to a boring ass question that is less than syrupy sweet is strangely refreshing these days. The silly part is, there aren’t that many that have escaped Teller’s mouth. In fact, more than a lot of actors today, he seems to actually have a sense of humor about himself and his celebrity.

Miles Teller is feelin’ himself. And why shouldn’t he be? If he sounds a little conceited, so be it. He’s a charismatic guy who has had a tremendous last few years in his career, let him walk around with his chest puffed out a little if he wants. Good for you, bro. Maybe we all should be just a little more sure of ourselves and quick to celebrate our accomplishments, such as successfully adding a bit of comedic relief to the overly-serious, CGI-soaked Divergent franchise, or proving to be a capable rom-com leading man in That Awkward Moment and Two Night Stand, or even showing off a sensitive, serious side in The Spectacular Now.
To get really real about it, Teller isn’t actually a dick at all. His attitudes or behaviors aren’t causing beefs on set or slowing down production (that we know of); he’s not causing studios and directors to re-think working with him, and he’s probably not even making his publicist work overtime. We have yet to see Teller get into a big time Twitter fight or spout off remarks that are insensitive to others. Anything this dude has said or done has affected him and only him. And hey, maybe this edge has caused the industry to see him in a different light and offer him more dynamic roles — maybe!
This is a guy that still has a lot to do both personally and professionally, and luckily, his reputation does not seem to be getting in the way of that. He’s shown a knack for sarcasm and self-deprecation along the way, and maybe working with another actor with a similar reputation, Jonah Hill, opened each other’s eyes. It certainly seems to have opened Teller’s heart, as he shared the story of helping a pregnant lady to shore on the beach in Miami last year.

All this is to say, don’t let an actor’s tendency to sound a little bit pompous get in the way of seeing his work. Because behind closed doors, they all sound that way. Teller is just giving us a peek at something interesting. He probably tends to be more of a goofball than an a jackass, but he ultimately doesn’t seem to be a bad dude, and especially not bad enough to skip some of the fantastic on-screen work he’s doing. So many were quick to declare him the “one to watch” until they didn’t love every single thing they were seeing. Don’t turn away just yet. It’s just about to get interesting.
[Where to stream Whiplash]