Michael Shannon's Unfiltered Thoughts on Ezra Miller's Controversy: 'I Always Give People a Lot of Slack'
DC's biggest movie of 2023 has been making headlines long before the trailer dropped on Super Bowl Sunday, mostly due to the media frenzy surrounding the controversial Ezra Miller.
Miller, the star of the film, has been accused of disorderly conduct, assault, burglary, and grooming minors. But one of their Flash co-stars believes we should cut Miller a little slack. Oscar-nominated Michael Shannon spoke to Vanity Fair about his experience on The Flash and his opinion on Miller's situation.
He was asked about the 'noise' surrounding the film, which he quickly surmised was pointed at Miller.
'I'm not looking at the trades every morning,' he said. 'I know there's been some issues.'
He said that Miller was 'lovely' and very kind to him. He said that there are a lot of people in his industry who have issues, and he always chooses to give people a lot of slack.
'Any time somebody is out in the spotlight getting picked on, I feel for them. Even if it's warranted, it's still a horrible situation.'
Shannon first appeared in 2013's Man of Steel as General Zod, the Kryptonian warlord pitted against Clark Kent. He was brutally killed by Superman with a dramatic neck-snap, setting the grittier tone for this iteration of DC films.
Shannon said that he originally was hesitant to rejoin DC a decade after his original appearance, mostly because he 'adores' Zack Snyder - Man of Steel's director who has since been let go by DC. After he got Snyder's blessing, he was excited to reprise the character, but only after getting past his confusion.
'Didn't I die at the end of Man of Steel? Am I, like, a zombie or what's going on?'
The Flash will be a multiversal epic, focused around Barry Allen/The Flash (Miller) going back in time to save his mother. This break in time will bring a different universe's Zod face-to-face with The Flash, Supergirl, and a couple different Batmen, including Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton, who will reprise his role from three decades ago.
Most of Miller's controversy happened in 2022. Last August, he apologized to Variety and stated that he'd gone through a time of 'intense crisis.' He'd since gone to therapy for his mental health issues, which he cited as the cause of his criminal behaviors.
The Flash is set for release on June 16.
Source: Vanity Fair.