Miles Teller brings plenty of swagger to anyone who comes within striking distance of him. Walking into a room, he carries himself with a devil-may-care brand charisma and loves to speak his mind. A conversation with Teller is like having a chat with an old college friend - enthusiastic and uninhibited.
For an actor who was told early on in his career that the scars on his face - sustained in a car accident - would make it difficult for him to find work, Miles Teller has done pretty well for himself. Best known as the college band drummer bullied by J.K. Simmons in Whiplash and as a stoner gun-runner in War Dogs, Teller has recently starred in Bleed For This, Only the Brave, and TV Series Too Young to Die.
“But afterward, when I went for castings, my scars were always the thing that would keep me from getting roles until John Cameron Mitchell gave me the part in Rabbit Hole (opposite Nicole Kidman) and told me: “I like your scars. They tell a story.”
The 34-year-old Miles Teller lives in Los Angeles with his model wife, Keleigh.
STRIPLV: You’ve got in shape for Top Gun. TELLER: Sure, I’ve gone for a routine that gets me to a place I’m happy at. It’s not the first time I’ve done it for a role, but it probably is the most pressure I’ve felt to slim down and bulk up a bit because of the magnitude of what it is we are creating here. STRIPLV: When before did you have to undergo a big transformation? TELLER: I had to drop 6% body weight for Bleed for This. I didn’t eat a slice of bread for eight months. One time I came home, and I was in the middle of my training, and there are French fries — Keleigh had just ordered this burger or something. And I got so pissed off! I was like, “Baby; you cannot be eating this crap in front of me! It’s torture!” STRIPLV: When the first Top Gun came out, you were yet to be born, still a year away. How does that feel? TELLER: Daunting! Obviously, this is a legacy that began before I was even here, though I have grown up with that first movie, we all have. It has been a part of our lives for 35 years, and to have the chance to be a part of reprising that is the biggest honor I have had in my career. STRIPLV: Does daunting go as far as working alongside Tom Cruise? TELLER: For me, I would always judge myself on the movie than the man. You cannot afford to go into a project like this, or any other, feeling intimidated by the cast or the director or the legacy of the film. Ultimately you have to decide if it is the direction you want to go down. It will always be about how you see yourself in the context of the movie, not in the context of the other people involved. But yes, of course, you know this is Tom Cruise’s thing. And he deserves that status. STRIPLV: You’ve enjoyed a lot of recognition for your work in the Divergent franchise as well as for your performance in the indie film, Whiplash. Is it very different working on a mammoth studio franchise like Divergent or Fantastic Four, or the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick?
TELLER: No. I approach every film with basically the same amount of intensity and preparation. I loved being part of a franchise like Divergent because, more than any other film, it gave me the opportunity to develop lasting friendships with many of my fellow actors over the years. I love being able to embark on a journey and see how it evolves from one film to the other. STRIPLV: So, do you approach smaller projects any differently? TELLER: Some movies might be smaller in scope, but you still enjoy the intimacy you find with the other actors and being able to tell a story as truthfully or intensely as you possibly can. That’s the most important thing for me and how I approach every role. I really believe that film is a collaborative process, and being able to share a common vision with your directors and acting colleagues is going to play a major role in the success of any project. STRIPLV: Do you feel the pressure to constantly improve and grow as an actor as your career is taking off these days? TELLER: I’ve found myself working on some movies where I was putting too much pressure on myself, and as a result, I didn’t enjoy the process the way I should have. I accept that there’s always going to be that kind of pressure, and I also need a director who’s going to push me to the next level. So many of the directors I’ve had the opportunity to work with have truly inspired me with their ideas. STRIPLV: You seem like a very upfront, confident individual. Does the business ever wear you down, especially in terms of your personal life? TELLER: You need to be able to find a way to give yourself enough time in between projects so that the work doesn’t take over your entire life. I’m lucky in that I have a great woman in my life and good friends that keep me from going overboard. Sometimes your brain will be telling you: “This (acting) is all I care about now, it’s all I want, it’s all so alive.” But that’s not a healthy way of thinking, and you have to be careful not to get into trap because things can move so fast in this business. You need to find the time for the simplest things even though it’s difficult to find that middle ground. STRIPLV: Whiplash, at the time, gave you more attention and respect within the industry than any of your other films and built you the platform for everything that followed. But isn’t it true that you were reluctant at first to do it even though your skill on the drums made it the perfect film for you? TELLER: What happened was that I was sent the script right after I had finished a movie and had already done four films within the space of a year. I knew doing Whiplash meant a huge commitment in terms of the intensity that the role demanded, and I wasn’t sure I was up for that. But the script was so good that there was no way I was going to let anyone else play the part. (Laughs) STRIPLV: You’ve spoken about having benefited from the kind of inspiration you’ve received from directors. What about actors? Are there certain actors who’ve inspired you or whose careers you’d like to emulate? TELLER: I’ve been influenced and inspired by great actors like Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, Edward Norton, Dustin Hoffman, and Marlon Brando. It’s so important to be aware of the history of cinema and be able to study and appreciate actors whose performances have stood out over time. STRIPLV: You’ve also cited Al Pacino as one of your acting idols? TELLER: A friend of mine once had the good fortune to work with Al Pacino, who invited him for dinner at his house one evening. He saw that Pacino kept a whole bookshelf of books on acting that he continues to study with the same enthusiasm and the same passion as he did in his early days as an actor in New York. I hope that over the course of my career, I’ll be able to maintain that same kind of motivation, and passion, and desire for perfection. Talent alone is not enough, and if you want to become a great actor, you have to work, work and work. STRIPLV: Do you feel you need to strike a balance between working on indie films and being part of the big studio movies that usually mean greater visibility and bigger paychecks? TELLER: The most difficult thing for an actor is being able to choose good films and play interesting characters. You want to be able to maintain a certain level of artistic integrity, but you might also need to do a film so you can pay your rent or find a nice apartment. I remember when (actor) Joe Pantoliano came to one of my college drama classes and when he was asked a question like you’ve asked me, his answer was the following: “All I can tell you is to do three films a year: one for the money, one for art, and one for the place where you’re going to shoot.” STRIPLV: How do you handle those kinds of choices? TELLER: Sometimes you’re going to be offered a film where you get to spend several months in a great city, and it’s like being paid to be on vacation. Other times you’re going to work on a small film, shoot very long hours, but feel more satisfied creatively. And sometimes the line between the two kinds of films isn’t that clear. I try to choose projects that are going to make me happy. STRIPLV: So the Top Gun hype is set to build and build. TELLER: At times, it feels surreal, and the expectation itself can be quite exhausting, but then it’s a lot better to feel a little exhausted and know that you’ve established yourself in the business as opposed to fighting to get auditions. On a big movie like Top Gun, the real difference was the amount of time you got to prepare for every scene. On smaller movies, we would have very little money and very few shooting days, so everything was done as quickly as possible, and there was more pressure to make sure that you did every take like it was the last one. Top Gun, just like Insurgent or Fantastic Four, even with Covid restrictions, you will have a half-hour to prepare for every new shooting angle on the exact same take. (Laughs) It’s like being in an alternate reality in terms of the work. The thing that counts is being able to enjoy your work and the experience you have with the other cast members and crew. You don’t think about how big the project is at all, yet your approach as an actor remains the same. You prepare for your character in the same way, STRIPLV: One of your closest friends in the business is Shailene Woodley. What is she like? TELLER: Shailene Woodley is still the same girl as she was on The Spectacular Now. She still loves to give hugs. As soon as you meet her, you get a sense of who she is right away. She knows every single person’s name on the crew, and we have a pretty similar mentality about how we approach our work. She wants to make every film an enjoyable experience, and we’ve been able to share so many good times on films like The Spectacular Now and the Divergent films. You couldn’t ask for a more interesting or pleasant person to hang out with on a set or anywhere else. Shailene is a truly beautiful woman. STRIPLV: She’s a kind of nomad, isn’t she? TELLER: Totally. She lives out of one suitcase, and she keeps giving away all her possessions and clothes. She wants to live as freely as possible and not deal with material things. It’s pretty admirable - not many people could live like that. But in person, she is the warmest and most genuine soul you could ever meet. STRIPLV: How are things going with your wife, Keleigh? TELLER: We have so much fun together. We love traveling and just being able to hang out. She’s helped me relax a lot, especially during the past year when everything has been moving so fast around me. We also make sure we stay in touch even when I’m away on a film set, and we just use FaceTime. I’m really lucky to have a great girl like her in my life.