The Shady Side Of Miles Teller

After breaking onto the big screen scene in 2010's gut-wrenching drama Rabbit Hole and making a big impression in the sleeper hit Project X, Miles Teller went from promising young actor to overnight star. He's since enjoyed the rare distinction of being cast in respectable indies, ensemble comedies, and big-budget popcorn fare. Despite some impressive work on-screen, though, his off-screen antics have steadily tarnished the actor's reputation. Here are some of the things about Miles Teller that are putting people off right about now.

When Miles Teller landed a key role as a cast member in the cinematic adaptation of Veronica Roth's Divergent series, it was a definite boon in his then-burgeoning career. Although he'd previously impressed in films like The Spectacular Now, Divergent had the potential to reach The Hunger Games levels of ubiquity, and Teller's role was one which would last the whole franchise. The series ultimately didn't live up to expectations, however, and Teller was the first to publicly pan the project. In an interview with W magazine, he explained, "When I first read Whiplash, I was feeling dead inside. I didn't have an interesting part [in Divergent], and I'd taken the film for business reasons: It was the first movie I'd done that was going to have an international audience."

He later tried to backtrack on his words, indicating that they were taken out of context, but the bitter tone of the interview left a sour taste in fans' mouths. Making matters worse, once the final installment Allegiant was dropped from Lionsgate's big screen plans and instead optioned for a TV run, Teller was the first cast member to speak up and cast doubt on the star's return for the altered project. He told The Hollywood Reporter, "Things do change anytime they're messing with something that was not the original intention. We all signed on for it in hopes that it'd be released in theaters, and we all had every intention of finishing [the franchise]." Eventually, others followed in his footsteps to exit the series as well, but considering his earlier insult to the series, his early departure definitely rubbed fans the wrong way.

After arriving as a stand-out in Josh Trank's out-of-control party pic Project X, it wasn't too surprising Teller was invited to re-team with the director once Trank was given the helm of the Fantastic Four reboot. But their professional relationship quickly soured on the set of the production, as the director was reportedly way too tough on the thesps, with Teller refusing to take it.

As detailed by The Hollywood Reporter, "During takes, he would be telling [cast members] when to blink and when to breathe. He kept pushing them to make the performance as flat as possible." Teller, who was cast in the role thanks to Trank's insistence despite the studio wanting another for his part, reportedly almost came to blows with his director during a particularly intense day on set. As reported by Entertainment Weekly (via ComicBookMovie), the two had an intense argument on the set of the film that very nearly resulted in a physical confrontation. A source explained, "He ended up almost fighting Teller, who has a reputation for sarcasm and recalcitrance while working. At one point, the conflict nearly became physical, with Trank and Teller chest to chest, daring each other to throw the first punch. Neither did." Although a lot of that tension likely stemmed from the director's well-documented antagonism, it wasn't the last time he and a director would fail to see eye to eye.

Perhaps the most notorious moment in Miles Teller's questionable interview history came when he spoke to Esquire in 2015 and was characterized by the interview as being "d***ish." Although he would later slam the publication for "misrepresenting" him, the quoted portions of his chat were condemning enough without any editorialization.

For example, in one segment of the interview, he said, "I was thinking about that today, how I probably think I'm better-looking than the public thinks I am. I was in one of these forums about a film I did, and it's like 'This dude is so ugly! How does he get f***ing parts?' 'Well, he's not, like, traditionally handsome, but...' And that's kind of what it is. Maybe it's because I came from a small town, but I always did well for myself." OK, so what? Is the implication that girls from small towns have lower standards? Or that there simply aren't as many good-looking people in small towns? Either way, we don't like the inference." 

There were a host of other cringeworthy moments from the piece, based on his words and/or behaviors, but even a year after the fact, Teller still felt victimized by the article. He later told The Guardian, "I felt frickin' helpless, I felt extremely misrepresented, I felt a little angry. For the average person, they are reading this article, they haven't met you, they're like, 'Oh Miles is an a**hole. You didn't hear it? You didn't read that Esquire? Yeah, she said he was an a**hole — he must be!" If it were just the one interview gone wrong, he might have a point there, but the Esquire incident hardly stands alone.

Teller has dated swimsuit model Keleigh Sperry for years, and the two appear to have a picture perfect romance that's somehow survived his many moments of celebrity conflict. But the pattern of his interview history dictates, he of course seized on an opportunity to put down others in the process of talking about his long-lasting relationship.

Speaking to Newsweek, he said, "I don't date actresses" and added that his girlfriend was instead "a real person." He'd later elaborate on what exactly that "real person" status entails in a chat with E! News, saying, "Right now, her full-time gig is kind of being with me ... she's allowed me to really focus on acting and what I want to do. She can come to set and visit me and hang out and doesn't really distract me from it." He's not always been so kind to former flames, by his own admission, though.