The Flash is so good “people will forget” Ezra Miller’s crimes. So says the $220 million movie’s production designer, Oscar-winner Paul Austerberry:
At the same time, these movies live or die by the reputations of the actors that lead them. In The Flash‘s case, that’s Ezra Miller — the beleaguered star of the film who’s been arrested numerous times in the past few years.
That represents a huge risk for the film and those who’ve dedicated the past few years to it, but Austerberry says he’s not too concerned about how the stories surrounding Miller will affect the film.
“People will forget that,” Austberry said of Miller’s lengthy and troubling rap sheet, adding that Miller was under “a lot of pressure” and only had three days off during production.
I understand what Austberry is saying. He’s not defending anything Miller has done or has been credibly accused of doing. Instead, he’s saying the movie is so good, so transportive; you’ll forget the outside world, which is what good movies do.
As appalling as Roman Polanski’s crimes and fugitive status are, I defy anyone to watch Chinatown (1974), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), or The Pianist (2002) and not lose yourself in the story.
However, there are two things to keep in mind here…
First, let’s begin with Miller’s crimes and alleged crimes:
- April 2020: Alleged video of attack and strangulation of woman surfaces.
- March 2022: Arrested for disorderly conduct and harassment in a karaoke bar.
- April 2022: Arrested for second-degree assault, including hurling a chair and cutting a woman’s head.
- May 2022: Arrested for disorderly conduct and threatening police officers.
- June 2022: Accused of grooming 12-year-old girl with “violence, intimidation, threat of violence, fear, paranoia, delusions, and drugs.”
- June 2022: Another accusation of grooming a 12-year-old.
- August 2022: Charged with felony burglary.
- August 2022: Allegations of child endangerment
Assaults, grooming, violence against women, punching people, burglary, child endangerment…
As we all know, plenty of people—Bill Murray, Frank Langella, Woody Allen, F. Murray Abraham, Nate Parker, Jonathan Majors—have been blacklisted over nothing at all or a much, much, much lesser sin.
All things being equal—and I am in no way endorsing this—The Flash would be a non-starter, a write-off, and Miller would be banished, never to be heard from again.
But all things are not equal, which brings me to my second point… Miller is getting a pass because he identifies as trans or non-binary or whatever fetish he’s latched on to this week. So he’s being given a pass for eight sins when normal people lose their Hollywood jobs over one.
Using “they/them” pronouns is all it takes to remain a star even after you’re seen on video manhandling a woman.
Kevin Spacey will tell you being gay is not enough to escape the #MeToo Nazis.
Jonathan Majors will tell you being black is not enough.
Woody Allen will tell you winning countless Oscars, having a clean record for 50-plus years, and being cleared of all wrongdoing by two separate state investigations is not enough.
No, you must be a transsexual or transvestite… That’s the only way to avoid the new Hollywood blacklist.
This privilege is also why people who identify as “trans” feel they can sexualize and groom children without fear of prosecution or even public rebuke. Too many of these people are bitter, angry, mentally unstable, and feel as though they are above the law and social compact. This is nothing less than a recipe for a disaster we are seeing play out all across the country.
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