The superhero film genre has expanded dramatically in recent years, indisputably demonstrating how well-liked and lucrative such characters are. The film’s enormous success and the franchise it went on to spawn became one of the precursors to Bryan Singer being able to work with almost three times that amount by the time he directed X-Men: Apocalypse, far exceeding the meagre $65 million budget 20th Century Fox provided X-Men with out of fear that it would fail. Since the release of the MCU and the DCU, actors and directors have been clamouring to go on the superhero gravy train.
Many performers have become household names and massive stars as a result of the genre’s enormous reach; frequently, these parts become the ones they are most strongly associated with. One such actor is the fiercely divisive Ezra Miller. Although they have been alive for a lot longer than people may realise and have appeared in many other noteworthy films, since joining the DC Universe, they are best known for playing their biggest role to date. The only thing surpassing Miller’s celebrity for portraying the immensely popular character The Flash off-screen are their increasingly unsettling scandals. In spite of this, Miller is an unbelievably great actress. Here is a list of Ezra Miller’s top performances thus far, putting their other shenanigans aside.
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Afterschool
Despite Ezra Miller’s impressive acting resume to date, their issues off the screen frequently obscure their amazing potential. The young actor’s controversies have reached a disturbing level, and they appear to reflect a person who has been dealing with serious problems for some time. They have a lengthy history of choosing parts that allegedly occasionally mirror the darker sides of their off-screen personas.
Afterschool featured Miller in the lead part as a student at a private school who becomes involved in the disturbing case of two young girls who appear to have overdosed on drugs. This is only one of these kinds of roles. They once again portrayed a vicious and multifaceted character in the movie in a masterful way. Unfortunately, their ability to pull off dark roles sometimes seems to go hand in hand with their self-destructive path in reality, given the sheer volume of accusations and issues surrounding Miller off-screen.
Asking for It
Ezra Miller’s portrayal of Mark Vanderhill in the 2021 film Asking for It was an unusual role, but it was a great way for the actor to escape any stereotypes that their personal life may have contributed to their professional life. Despite Miller frequently claiming lifestyle preferences and political beliefs that appear to place them on the political left, they played the leader of the Men’s First Movement, an alt-right organisation, in the independent movie.
The video skillfully illustrated how divided society has grown over time and how identity politics frequently moulds us. Asking for It, which centres on a direct conflict between the Men’s First Movement and the Cherry Bombers, an all-female gang, fearlessly takes on some serious subjects, and Miller is brilliant in it.
Beware the Gonzo
Before being introduced to the DC Universe, Ezra Miller made a number of outstanding film and television appearances. He has been acting since they were a youngster. Miller played the titular role in the teen comedy-drama Beware the Gonzo back in 2010. Miller portrayed Eddie “Gonzo,” a young person who quits the school newspaper after being fired and starts a covert publication in its place.
Gonzo and his buddies draw attention from other students and write uncensored articles that end up causing a lot of drama and problems by using the platform to enable marginalised and unpopular students have a voice. Gonzo eventually discovers why maintaining journalistic integrity is so important and then confronts a challenging road to repentance when unexpected consequences result from his actions.
City Island
Miller was fantastic in a supporting role as a teenager from a chaotic household in City Island. The actors’ inexperience at the time didn’t prevent them from competing in a film with established star Andy Garcia. Miller portrayed Garcia’s kid, who had a cute and humorous subplot in a film that largely focused on the father and who had a crush on a neighbour.
Miller’s part in the movie, even if he wasn’t the primary character, served as a proof of their talent and a foreshadowing of their future career as an actor. The movie had a strong 7.4 IMDb rating, making it one of Miller’s highest rated movies as well.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Miller once more portrayed a variation of their well-known abused or tormented child character type as Credence Barebone. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was a blockbuster fantasy movie with loads of action, bizarre characters, and stunning special effects. Only this one had some enormous magical skills.
Even though the movie and its follow-up, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, received negative reviews, being a part of one of the most well-known franchises in the world allowed it to command a stellar cast, a sizable budget, and become a major financial success. Miller gave a fantastic portrayal as a tragic and potent antagonist, despite the fact that the movie may not have impressed critics. Unfortunately, neither their involvement in it nor the performances of outstanding actors like Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law were sufficient to shield it from unfavourable reviews. Here is some of what Variety’s Andrew Barker had to say about it.
There are many story twists, loud noises, and colourful mystical nebulae in the movie, but there isn’t often any tension, sense of adventure, or genuine longing—just the impression of seeing one chess piece after another being placed.
Justice League
Although Ezra Miller has played the recognisable role of The Flash in a number of films, Justice League was the first one where we got to see him really embody the part. The film itself and the DC Universe as a whole haven’t yet been able to match the MCU, its main adversary, in terms of brilliance, critical acclaim, and big box office returns. Fans were nonetheless quite excited to witness some of the most recognisable superheroes in history finally team up in a live-action movie.
Miller provided those fans with the first accurate look at their interpretation of the character, which turned out to be a charming and amusing take on the well-known speedster. Miller’s Flash was able to hold the screen well enough next to characters like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman even though the character always appeared doomed to come in second to them. He also introduced some fantastic comedic elements and gorgeous, effects-driven moments. In the process, the universe was set up for the next, intense standalone movie starring the character.
The Flash
The Flash was a movie that delivered fans the first blockbuster standalone movie for the venerable superhero in contemporary cinema as it was the newest and one of the most eagerly awaited entries into the DC Universe. The movie itself turned out to be an exciting journey, full of amusement, some amazing effects, a complex plot, and enough notable appearances to satisfy even the most devoted comic book fan. The Flash is expected to be an important movie since it resets the DCU’s future timeline and creates a foundation for it to move ahead now that renowned director James Gunn has been given the responsibility of steering the DCU’s future.
Miller undoubtedly did a fantastic job in the part, giving the character a likeable personality as well as a blend of fun cheesiness and plenty of terrific humour. Sadly, the actor’s future as the character is in doubt due to their on-screen drama and mental health issues. Although it is yet unknown if Miller will continue to portray the role, the controversy-plagued actor has received numerous complaints and calls for their replacement.
Since The Flash, which was projected to be a blockbuster hit but unexpectedly underperformed at the box office, many have blamed Miller’s legal issues and accusations for this. Only time will tell if Ezra Miller is able to receive the assistance they appear to need and realise their obviously demonstrated potential as a wonderful actor, or if they will simply go into obscurity as another talented star who self-destructed.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Ezra Miller’s relationships in real life and admissions that they are non-binary and like people of all genders have influenced the characters they have played. Miller portrayed Patrick, a homosexual adolescent who dates Brad, a popular but secretive high school football player, in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Although Patrick and Brad’s marital problems are a side narrative, their tale reveals some complex undertones that highlight the whole dramatic scope of what made this such a terrific movie.
The film, which was primarily focused on a young boy named Charlie Kelmeckis, was a multifaceted meditation on the complexity of trauma and puberty due to the boy’s struggles with abuse and mental illness. The film’s review was written by famed cinema critic Roger Ebert himself, who began it by noting that “all of my previous selves still survive somewhere inside of me, and my previous adolescent would have loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Ezra Miller’s performance in it led to numerous nominations and wins for awards and served as yet another illustrative case of why the actor was already developing a solid reputation for their talent at that point.
The Stanford Prison Experiment
In the 2015 documentary thriller The Stanford Prison Experiment, Miller played a “prisoner” in one of the darkest and most unsettling roles of their career. The movie, which was based on a real research of the same name that was equally divisive, followed the actions of a psychology professor who devised an experiment to support the idea that social influence—such as positions of authority or social roles—can affect behaviour more than one’s own personality.
In a mock prison, 18 male students were assigned to the roles of guards or detainees. The experiment quickly becomes sinister as the “guards” become increasingly violent and the “prisoners” are put through stressful and unpleasant scenarios that actually harm their mental and emotional health. Along with Ezra Miller, the movie also starred Tye Sheridan, Michael Angarano, and others from a talented young group. Miller, who portrayed Daniel Culp, also known as Prisoner 8612 in the movie, was remarkable in it.
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Ezra Miller frequently uses dark and unpleasant themes in his films, and We Need to Talk About Kevin was no exception. Miller portrays Kevin Khatchadourian in the movie, a severely unstable young man who displays enormous hostility towards his mother whenever she tries to visit him. Kevin’s mother worries about his antisocial and frequently psychotic inclinations, which puts her at odds with his father, who thinks Kevin is a nice kid.
By the conclusion, Kevin’s actions demonstrate exactly how troubled a person he was from the beginning. The plot of the film also takes a horrifyingly catastrophic turn. Miller was nominated for Best Young Actor at the 2012 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards for his role in the wonderful movie, which had some amazing performance from him and Tilda Swinton, who played their mother.
