At Monday’s Hollywood premiere of “The Flash,” nonbinary actor Ezra Miller, who uses them/they pronouns, received thunderous applause at their first public appearance since multiple allegations against them emerged last year. Last year Miller was arrested twice in Hawaii, once for throwing a chair at a woman and once for disorderly conduct and harassment at a bar. (Miller pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct, while other charges were later dropped.) The actor faced allegations of brainwashing an 18-year-old activist and isolating the teenager from their parents. In June a Massachusetts mother was granted a temporary protection order against Miller on behalf of her 12-year-old child.
Vermont state authorities also tried to serve an emergency-care order to another woman and her three children who were reportedly living in “unsafe conditions” on the actor’s rural property. And two months later, Miller was charged with felony burglary after authorities accused the actor of breaking into a home to steal alcohol. In January Miller pleaded guilty to misdemeanor unlawful trespass charges in that case.
Given this avalanche of allegations, the case for “canceling” Miller seems clear cut.
Last August Miller released an apology through a representative “to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior,” saying they were starting treatment for “complex mental health issues.” But in the age of cancel culture, it’s notable that Miller has seemingly dodged damage to their public career as their latest blockbuster, “The Flash,” recently hit theaters to favorable reviews.
Given this avalanche of allegations, the case for “canceling” Miller seems clear cut. Yet this week we see the actor out in public being lauded for their role in what many critics have said is the one of the best DC Comics movies to date.
Some conservatives have suggested that Miller has thus far escaped cancellation because of their nonbinary status. But there’s a much simpler explanation for the lack of career consequences for Miller: Rich people support the actor.
Other recent moves from the executives behind DC Universe have only prompted more questions about Miller’s presence as the titular character in “The Flash.” Those same executives recently parted ways with both Henry Cavill, who played Superman, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; both actors have significantly more star power than Miller, and neither has attracted controversy.
Behind Miller, however, stands a long line of film executives, including DC Studios head honchos Peter Safran and James Gunn, along with DiscoveryTV’s CEO David Zaslow, Warner Bros. Film Group heads Michael De Luc and Pam Abdy, all of whom Miller thanked in a speech at “The Flash” premiere.
It’s a tale as old as capitalism itself, if not older.
In January Safran expressed confidence that the actor was on the right course. “Ezra is completely committed to their recovery,” he said. “We are fully supportive of that journey they are on right now. When the time is right, when they are ready to have that discussion, we will all figure out what’s the best path forward. But right now, they are completely focused on their recovery. And in our conversation with them, in the last couple of months, it feels like they are making enormous progress.”
Safran’s statement comes across as compassion, but it also illustrates that all it takes to weather a public relations storm is having the sympathy of the people who control the purse strings.
Miller is far from the only example of this phenomenon. Netflix stood by Dave Chapelle through multiple transphobic comedy specials despite taking a loss on his shows just because the CEO of Netflix, Ted Serandos, liked and supported the comedian. Spotify executives stood by podcaster Joe Rogan through multiple PR scandals, saying that “canceling voices is a slippery slope.”
But as a creator, once you do something out of bounds enough to lose the support of your wealthy patron, then your cancellation can commence.
It’s a tale as old as capitalism itself, if not older. If the wealthy people in charge feel like punishing an underling, they will get punished; if they don’t, there will be no consequences. Put more simply: You’re only as canceled as the rich person in your corner.
