Cliff Notes – Ezra Miller makes Cannes appearance years after fleeing spotlight
- Ezra Miller, who identifies as they/them, re-emerged at the Cannes Film Festival after a series of controversies, including arrests and allegations of inappropriate behaviour, which led to a significant withdrawal from public life.
- The actor, known for their role as The Flash, has been undergoing treatment for complex mental health issues and has expressed a commitment to improving their well-being following a tumultuous period marked by legal troubles.
- At Cannes, Miller attended the premiere of Lynne Ramsay’s film “Die, My Love,” but notably did not engage with the press or pose for photographs, indicating a cautious return to the spotlight.
Ezra Miller makes Cannes appearance years after fleeing spotlight
Ezra Miller has resurfaced at Cannes Film Festival, years after fleeing the spotlight in a wake of several high-profile controversies.
The actor, 32, who goes by they/them pronouns, starred as The Flash in the DC Cinematic Universe until 2023.
They have been keeping a low profile since being involved in a number of controversies prior to that film’s release, including a string of arrests and police separate charges of burglary, second-degree assault, harrassment and disorderly conduct.
This included the allegation that Miller had engaged in ‘inappropriate behaviour’ around a 12-year-old from the child’s parents – allegations which Miller has always refuted.
Since then, Miller withdrew from the spotlight as they began ‘ongoing treatment’ for ‘complex mental health issues’ – finally re-emerging at this weekend’s Cannes in support of director Lynne Ramsey.
Ramsay, who was there for the premiere of her new film Die, My Love with stars Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence, previously worked with Miller on the 2011 thriller We Need to Talk About Kevin.
According to Variety, Miller did not pose for photographs on the red carpet.
Footage from the event shows the actor walking at a fast pace past a wall of cameras, to the stairs beyond.
They wore a maroon tuxedo, with a beret over their long hair. They sported a moustache over their upper lip, offering only a hint of a smile as they sped on their way.
Miller’s controversies began in April 2020, when a video surfaced showing the actor apparently choking a woman at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland.
It did not result in any charges, and they have never discussed the incident.
In March 2022, they were charged with disorderly conduct and harassment over their alleged involvement in two separate incidents at a bar in Hawaii.
They were accused of shouting and swearing at customers as they sang karaoke before forcibly grabbing a microphone from a 23-year-old woman.
Miller pleaded no contest to one count of disorderly conduct and paid a $500 (£398) fine over the incident.
That same month, a married couple took out a temporary restraining order after claiming that Miller burst into their bedroom and threatened to kill them, allegedly stealing her passport and his wallet as they left.
Two weeks later, the restraining order case was dismissed by a judge at the couple’s request.
In June, the parents of 19-year-old Native American activist Tokata Iron Eyes filed a protection order against the Fantastic Beasts star.
They accused the actor of grooming their child from the age of 12, while exhibiting patterns of ‘cult-like and psychologically manipulative, controlling behaviour.’
According to Vanity Fair, Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Court filed a temporary order against Miller, but dismissed Tokata’s parents’ request to make it permanent.
They later withdrew their request for a conservatorship over Tokata, which was needed to file a restraining order against their child’s will, as they were now over 18.
Shortly after this incident, a mother from Greenfield, Massachusetts, and her child were granted a temporary harassment prevention order against Miller, alleging that the actor “menaced their family one evening in their downstairs neighbour’s home and acted inappropriately toward” the minor.
In a statement released after the temporary order was dropped, Miller wrote: ‘I’m encouraged by today’s outcome and very grateful at this moment to everyone who has stood beside me and sought to ensure that this egregious misuse of the protective order system was halted.
‘Protective orders are meant to provide safety for individuals, families, and children who are in danger.
‘They are not meant to be used as weapons by those seeking attention or fleeting tabloid fame or some sort of personal vengeance when there are people in true and dire need of these services.
‘I have been unjustly and directly targeted by an individual who the facts have shown has a history of such manipulative and destructive actions.’
They went on: ‘On a personal note, I want everyone to know that I am continuing to do my best to preserve my own wellness and what I can to reverse the collateral damage this ordeal has brought upon me and those close to me.
‘Finally, to all you many beings in this world who have had the enormous courage to see me through it all and make it here with me – I will spend a long time trying to explain to you what it has meant to have your support.
‘You have my undying gratitude, admiration and love.’
Miller played Barry Allen in The Flash
In June, Miller was also accused of hosting a woman and her three young children at their farm in an ‘unsafe environment’ – including claims that there were ‘guns strewn’ around everywhere and that a one-year-old child found a loose bullet and put it in her mouth.
Vermont State Police tried to serve an emergency care order to the woman, requiring the removal of the children from her care and Miller’s home, but the actor told them the family had left two months prior and not returned.
No charges have been filed against Miller related to this incident.
In August 2022, Miller was charged with the alleged burglary of a home in Stamford, Vermont, where they are said to have stolen bottles of alcohol.
The star later pleaded guilty to unlawful trespassing, in the hope of having other charges from the same case, specifically burglary and larceny, dropped.
As part of the deal, they are required to undertake random drug tests and continue seeking mental health treatment.
Before the plea deal, Miller announced last year that they were seeking treatment, saying in a statement: ‘Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment.’
‘I want to apologise to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behaviour. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.’