Actor Ezra Miller revealed that they have “a lot of remorse” for their past behaviour after stepping away from Hollywood for a couple of years.
Miller’s career was derailed after they were at the centre of several criminal cases and the subject of numerous allegations, including assault and grooming.
The star of The Flash, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, addressed their past controversies in an interview with Italian outlet Lo Speciale Giornale following their first major red-carpet appearance at the Cannes Film Festival since stepping away from the entertainment industry.
“When you work in this industry, you will find yourself in deep relation with a lot of people who do not give a single f— about you or your well-being at all,” Miller said.
“Not that I don’t hold a lot of remorse and lamentation for a lot of things that I did and for a lot of things that happened in that time, but I’m really, really grateful for the lessons that came with that abyss.
“When we go through those crucibles, if we can survive — which was up in the air for me, if I’m being real — we then have that capacity to see other people in their crucibles and just to reach towards them.
“That grows more and more rarefied in our world, too. Like, the capacity to do that, the desire to do that, the willingness to do that.
“We’ve become very consumed in notions of perception, self-perception, how we’re perceived in the world. I really believe in digging past that and being a friend to people. And the people who did that for me, they have my lifelong devotion.”
Miller said they attended the Cannes Film Festival at the request of director Lynne Ramsay, whom they called “one of the greatest living filmmakers” and shared that they’re working on a new movie together.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
“I’m working with her again, that will likely be the first thing I do. It’s a film that her and I are writing together,” they said. “And I came to Cannes because she asked me to come, and if there’s anything I really still believe in in my life, it’s devotion to one’s people, one’s loved ones … above all else.”
Miller said their current relationship with the movie industry is on “tentative grounds.”
“If you’ve been in the woods for three years, I do not recommend going straight to Cannes, where every photographer and every weirdo, every rich genocidal freak (will) be there, you know what I mean?” Miller said. “It’s not an easy re-entry.”
In 2022, Miller was arrested twice in Hawaii for disorderly conduct and harassment at a karaoke bar when the actor grabbed a mic from a singing woman and lunged at a man playing darts. They were later arrested again on suspicion of assault for allegedly throwing a chair at a woman, leaving her with a half-inch gash on her forehead.
Before those two incidents, Miller was the source of at least 10 police calls in Hawaii for things like loitering, filming people at a gas station and arguing with people in public.
They were also charged with felony burglary in Vermont after police said they stole several bottles of alcohol from an empty residence.
In June 2022, a Massachusetts mother was granted a temporary order of protection after a judge found that her child faced “substantial likelihood of immediate danger of harassment” at Miller’s hands.
Reports also emerged that Miller had been housing a mother and three children at their farmhouse in Vermont, alarming the children’s father, who claimed that guns and marijuana were easily accessible on the property.
The father claimed he contacted Vermont’s Department for Children and Families to carry out a wellness check on the children. The mother alleged that Miller helped her escape an abusive situation with her ex and that the farm has been a “healing haven” for the family.
Miller previously underwent treatment for “complex mental health issues” in August 2022 and apologized for their actions, acknowledging their erratic behaviour.
They said that a period of crisis prompted their recent actions and that they were seeking mental health treatment.
“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,” Miller explained.
“I want to apologize 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.”
— With files from Global News
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
