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What the Hell Happened: Ezra Miller — Hollywood’s Biggest Liability

Ezra Miller pictured at the Justice League Japan Red Carpet
Ezra Miller pictured at the Justice League Japan Red Carpet By Courtesy of Dick Thomas Johnson, Wikimedia Commons
By Ann Nguyen, Contributing Writer

In the past, the name Ezra Miller evoked the image of stardom, with their extensive filmography including films like “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Fantastic Beasts,” and an upcoming starring role in “The Flash.” In recent months, however, dark details regarding the actor’s life have brought into question their mental stability and the safety of those around them. Charges against Miller range from assault and felony burglary and the grooming and abuse of female and non-binary identifying minors to running a cult-like harem out of their ranch in Vermont. Despite calls to fire Miller from the upcoming Flash movie over these incidents, Warner Bros has yet to take any action.

Miller's descent into infamy began in March 2020, when they strangled two people in Reykjavik, Iceland. The first choking incident was dismissed as a drunken altercation, but the second choking incident, which was filmed and uploaded by a bystander, sparked outrage amongst fans of the Flash franchise.

That same spring, Miller also allegedly ran a cult from their Reykjavik Airbnb. Those who visited the actor’s home recall a commune-like environment and days filled with spiritual monologues and group meditations led by Miller’s spiritual advisor Jasper Young Bear. To Miller`s followers, he was a “Messiah” who “the Freemasons were sending demons out to kill and a spiritual leader.”

In an interview with Insider, a young woman who had a brief sexual relationship with Miller described the unhealthy environment within Miller’s “commune”: “Nobody ever was kind of allowed to disagree with them… Their reality painted everybody else’s reality. There was no room for anybody else’s opinion or feelings.”

Miller’s violent outbursts did not stop upon their return to the United States. This spring, they were arrested for disorderly conduct and second-degree assault in Hawaii.

In June, Chase Iron Eyes, father of Indigenous activist Tokata Iron Eyes, accused Miller of grooming Tokata from the age of 12 and manipulating the teen with various psychedelic drugs. According to Iron Eyes, Miller and Tokata began a sexual relationship when the activist was only 16. During their relationship, Miller exhibited concerning and ‘deranged behavior’, claiming that they were an incarnation of Jesus Christ and allegedly leaving bruises on Tokata’s body.

Not long after the allegations went public, the actor and activist went missing and were later found hiding at Miller's Vermont ranch. Tokata Iron Eyes continues to deny any wrongdoing by Miller.

Since then, Miller’s ranch has become a self-proclaimed “healing haven” where they are currently hosting a 25-year-old mother and her three children. According to two sources who spoke to Rolling Stone, the ranch is a dangerous environment, with guns, weapons, and drugs allegedly strewn across the property. One source even recalled an instance when a one-year-old child allegedly put a loose bullet in her mouth.

Descriptions of the ranch possess strong similarities to Miller’s Icelandic cult, containing “an altar that’s home to bullets, weed, sage, and Flash figurines” where women who enter must leave offerings along with their cell phones. The Vermont police have attempted to launch an investigation into the safety of the mother’s children, but have been unable to locate the family.

As the saga of Ezra Miller progresses, one just has to ask — what the hell happened? How did one of Hollywood’s biggest stars become its biggest liability over the course of mere months? Will Miller’s tale become one of healing and recovery, or a tragic story of how poor mental health and unrestrained power can lead to disaster or an indictment of a Hollywood sphere that leaves its stars unchecked. Only time will tell.

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