In recent decades, the superhero genre has grown exponentially in films and conclusively proven just how popular and lucrative such characters are. Far from the meager $65 million budget 20th Century Fox provided X-Men with, out of fear that it would fail, the film's massive success and the franchise it went on to spawn became one of the precursors to why Bryan Singer was able to work with almost three times that amount by the time he directed X-Men: Apocalypse. The advent of the MCU and the DCU has since seen stars and filmmakers clamoring to get on board the superhero gravy train.
The incredible reach of the genre has made household names and huge stars out of many actors, often becoming the roles they end up being most closely associated with. The highly controversial Ezra Miller is one such actor. While they have been in many other notable films and been around much longer than people may realize, since signing on to the DCU, they have become synonymous with their largest role to date. Miller's fame for playing the globally popular character, The Flash, has been topped only by their increasingly troubling controversies off-screen. Despite this, there's no denying that Miller is a highly talented actor. With this in mind, their other antics aside, here's a look at Ezra Miller's best performances to date.
10 Beware the Gonzo
Ezra Miller has been acting since they were a teenager and has made a string of great film and TV appearances long before their introduction to the DCU. Back in 2010, Miller starred as the title character in the teen comedy-drama Beware the Gonzo. Miller played Eddie "Gonzo," a teenage student whose firing from his school's newspaper prompts him to start an underground publication instead.
Using the platform to help give unpopular and marginalized students a voice, Gonzo and his friends end up catching the attention of other students and work on uncensored articles that end up causing a ton of drama and problems. Ultimately learning why journalistic integrity matters so much, Gonzo faces a difficult journey to redemption when unintended consequences ensue from his efforts.
9 City Island
In a great supporting role, Miller played a teenager from a dysfunctional family that keeps secrets in City Island. The actor's fledgling career at the time didn't stop them from holding their own in a movie led by veteran star, Andy Garcia. Miller played Garcia's son, whose crush on a neighbor made for a sweet and comedic subplot in a movie that mostly centered around the father.
Although not the main actor in the film, Miller's role in it was an early indicator of just how talented they were and was definitely a sign of their success to come as an actor. With a solid 7.4 IMDb rating, the film was also one of Miller's best rated films too.
8 Asking for It
Ezra Miller's portrayal of Mark Vanderhill in 2021's Asking for It was an atypical role that was actually a brilliant one for the star to break free of any stereotyping their personal life may have had on their career. Despite Miller often professing personal lifestyle choices and views that seem to place them on the political left, they played the leader of an alt-right group known as the Men’s First Movement in the indie film.
The film elegantly portrayed how polarized society has become over the years and how identity politics can often shape us. Featuring a straight-up feud between the Men's First Movement and the Cherry Bombers, an all-female gang, Asking for It bravely tackles some dark issues, while Miller was electric in it.
7 The Stanford Prison Experiment
In one of the darkest and most disturbing roles of Miller's career, they played a "prisoner" in the 2015 docu-thriller, The Stanford Prison Experiment. Based on an actual study of the same name that was just as controversial, the film followed the activities of a psychology professor who designed an experiment to prove a hypothesis that power or differing roles in society can influence a person's behavior more than their own personality can.
Eighteen male students were used in a mock prison setting and designated as either prisoners or guards. The experiment soon takes a dark turn as the "guards" become more abusive, while "prisoners" are subjected to stressful and traumatic situations that cause them real emotional and mental damage. The film featured a great young cast that also included Tye Sheridan and Michael Angarano alongside Ezra Miller. Miller was exceptional in the film as they played Daniel Culp, also known as Prisoner 8612 in the film.
6 We Need to Talk About Kevin
Dark and disturbing are themes that often pop up in Ezra Miller's films, and We Need to Talk About Kevin was no different. In the film, Miller plays Kevin Khatchadourian, a highly troubled juvenile who shows extreme antagonism toward his mother whenever she tries to visit him. His mother's concerns about Kevin's antisocial and often psychotic tendencies drive a wedge between her and his father who believes him to be a good child.
By the end, Kevin's actions prove just how disturbed an individual he always was. In a horrifying twist, the movie also takes a deeply tragic turn. A fantastic movie with some amazing acting from Miller and Tilda Swinton who played their mother in the film, Miller was nominated for a Best Young Actor at the 2012 Critic's Choice Movie Awards for their part in it.
5 Afterschool
Though Ezra Miller has had a stellar acting career so far, their immense talent is often overshadowed by their off-screen troubles. The full extent of the young actor's controversies is indeed troubling and seems to speak of a person who has been experiencing some very complex issues for some time now. Their propensity for roles that seem to sometimes reflect the alleged darker sides of their off-screen persona has been present for a long time.
In another one of these kinds of roles, Afterschoolsaw Miller play the lead as a private school student who becomes embroiled in a disturbing case of two young girls who die from an apparent drug overdose. The film again saw them brilliantly portray a character that is sadistic and complex in some very dark ways. Sadly, given the sheer number of allegations and controversies surrounding Miller off-screen, their talent for nailing dark roles seems to sometimes walk hand-in-hand with their self-destructive path in reality too.
4 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
As Credence Barebone, Miller again played a variant of their famous abused or troubled child character type. Only this one had some immense magical abilities and far from an intense drama, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was a blockbuster fantasy film with plenty of action, outlandish characters, and dazzling special effects.
While the film and its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, were both critically panned, being a part of one of the most popular franchises in the world was still enough for it to command a great cast, a large budget, and be a huge box office hit. While the film might have left critics underwhelmed, Miller's performance as a tragic and powerful antagonist was great. Unfortunately, their part in it, nor the likes of brilliant actors like Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law, were enough to save it from scathing opinions. Here's a bit of what Andrew Barker of Varietyhad to say about it.
"The film throws plenty of plot twists, loud noises, and multihued magical nebulae at us, but rarely is there much tension, or sense of adventure, or any real longing, just the feeling of watching one chess piece after another being moved into position."
3 Justice League
Ezra Miller has appeared as the iconic character, The Flash, in quite a few cameos now but Justice League was the first movie where we got to see them fully fall into the character. The movie itself, and the DCU at large hasn't yet been able to muster the same brilliance, critical acclaim, and massive box office returns that its chief rival, the MCU, has. Nevertheless, seeing some of the most iconic superheroes in history finally all come together in a live-action film was still a huge thrill for fans.
Miller gave those fans a first proper glimpse of their take on the character, which turned out to be a funny and enamoring version of the famous speedster. While the character always seemed destined to play second fiddle to the likes of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, Miller's Flash was able to hold the screen well enough beside them and added some great comedic elements and beautiful, effects-driven scenes to it. In the process, the world was primed for the character's intense standalone film to come.
2 The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Ezra Miller's real-life relationships and statements that they are a non-binary person who likes persons of different genders have tied into the characters they've played too. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Miller played Patrick, a queer teenager who is in a relationship with a popular but closeted high school football star named Brad. While Patrick and Brad's relationship woes are a subplot, their story proves to have some intricate underpinnings that showcase the full dramatic breadth of what made this such a good film.
The film chiefly revolved around a kid named Charlie Kelmeckis, whose troubles with abuse and mental illness made it a multidimensional meditation on the complexities of trauma and adolescence. Famed film critic Roger Ebert himself gave the film a glowing review, which he started off by saying, "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 role in it earned them a slew of award nominations and wins and became another shining example of just why, by that point, the actor was earning a great reputation for their talent.
1 The Flash
As the latest and one of the most highly anticipated entrants into the DCU, The Flash was a film that finally gave fans the first blockbuster standalone movie for the legendary superhero in modern cinema. The film itself proved to be a thrill ride, packed with plenty of entertainment, some awesome effects, a layered plot, and enough memorable cameos to keep even the most ardent comic book fan satisfied. Now that famed filmmaker James Gunn has been tasked with leading the DCU's future, The Flash is slated to be a significant film since it resets the DCU's future timeline and provides a basis for it to go forward.
Miller certainly performed wonderfully in the role, bringing a mixture of fun cheesiness, plenty of great humor, and a likable persona to the character. Sadly, the actor's off-screen drama and struggles with mental illness have left their future as the character in doubt. While it hasn't yet been confirmed if Miller will keep playing the character, there have been plenty of outrage and calls for the embattled star to be replaced in light of their controversies.
This argument seems to have only grown louder since The Flash, which was slated to be a smash hit but unexpectedly flopped at the box office — with many blaming Miller's legal troubles and allegations for this. Only time will tell whether Ezra Miller is able to get the help they seem to need and reach the potential they've clearly shown as a fantastic actor, or simply fade away as just another talented star who self-destructed.
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