When I saw The Spectacular Now, I side-eyed the casting choice for the “life of every party” main character. This guy? He was cute, sure, but not King of High School cute. Then he started moving and talking, and I regretted my shallow assumptions. Miles Teller is absolutely the star of everything, high school or Hollywood. He is mesmerizing and incredibly talented.
But like Ewan McGregor before him (my tiny pubescent self noticed him in The Phantom Menace, but it wasn’t until Moulin Rouge two years later that I fully fell in love with the Scotsman), it took a second movie for Miles Teller to solidify his place in my heart.
I’ve heard a lot about Whiplash recently (it was nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars), so I didn’t hesitate to watch it on my flight over the Atlantic Ocean. Although the films’ message about abuse being acceptable if it leads to success rubs me the wrong way, there is no doubt that Miles Teller is stunning. His commitment to the role is astounding, and the way he portrays inflections of emotions through tiny eye movements or huge gestures is, well, mesmerizing. I won’t stop using that adjective until it stops being accurate.
Soon thereafter, I watched Insurgent. It’s…an okay film. But Miles Teller as the can’t-trust-him-but-you-need-him Peter? Amazing! He elevated every scene he was in. A friend of mine likened his performance to Anna Kendrick’s in the Twilight films–you know both of them are better than the movies they are in.
Okay, so Miles Teller. I’m all about him right now, and I cannot wait to see him as Mr. Fantastic in the upcoming Fantastic Four. He is not as classically beautiful as Brad Pitt or Chris Hemsworth, and that is part of his appeal. He knows this, too, which makes him even more endearing. In an article on Buzzfeed, he said:
“I think my face helps with that, because I’m attractive enough, but I’m not too attractive to where, you know, I’m not accessible,” he said with a smile. “I want to thank my parents for that, for my face.”
Chant with me: More Miles Teller! More Miles Teller!
It Is Trish 