Michael Shannon, the actor who plays General Zod in the DCEU, shared his thoughts on his experience working onThe Flashand Ezra Miller’s recent controversies.
Shannon reiterates his disappointment afterwhat happened between Warner Bros and Zack Snyderon the set ofJustice League, etching Ben Affleck’s recent statements from the Full Circle event that express having “enjoyed working with him [Snyder] so much.” As a result, Shannon felt it necessary to get Snyder’s approval before accepting the offer to return as General Zod inThe Flash. However, because of those same studio pressures, as they pertain to Snyder, Shannon may be more forgiving of Miller’s controversies.
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During an interview withVanity Fair, Shannon shared a different, and perhaps more nuanced, perspective onThe Flashcontroversies regarding Miller. Even though the actor admits to not having his finger “on the pulse of things,” he knows that Miller has found themselves in a difficult mental health situation. In Shannon’s own experience working with Miller on set, he found them to be “lovely” and “very kind” when he was there, which was only a “couple of weeks,” compared to “almost a year” onMan of Steel. “It’s difficult to talk about, but I always give people a lot of slack in this business, because there’s a lot of people in this business that have issues," Shannon said. “And some people have more privacy than others. Any time somebody is out in the spotlight getting picked on, I feel for them. Even if it’s warranted, it’s still a horrible situation.” Production designer Paul Austerberry reported that Miller was fully committed to the production and only had “three days off from the total shoot.” In an exclusive interview withCBS News, the designer said Miller was “working six days a week and spending Saturdays in stunt rehearsals. So, a lot of pressure.”
An argument can be made that these working conditions should have never been allowed, regardless of how Miller felt about it. Because Shannon was already disappointed with WB, it is no surprise that he may see the situation differently, despite agreeing that some of the criticism of Miller has been warranted. To Miller’s credit, the actor came out in a 2022 statement apologizing for their behavior. Before this, in 2012, the actor spoke out against Hollywood’s lack of mental health support regarding a disturbing character they played inWe Need To Talk About Kevin. In aVanity Fair interview, Miller said, “Usually, you have the on-set medic. For [We Need to Talk About Kevin], there should have definitely been an on-set psychologist. Alas, we were all left to our own devices to self-soothe in the face of such dark subject matter.” The actor said that they “always had enough faith that there was some goodness in myself that would await me on the other side of the abyss. I held confidence that even if I couldn’t do it, my friends and family could potentially pull me back. While making the film, I decided to not worry about it and take that leap.”
All actors have different techniques for creating a good performance. To some, it’s just a job, but to others, it’s art. While Hollywood glorifies actors who take the extra step, as long as the effort for doing so can be seen on the big screen, its culture does not necessarily support those that have a harder time coming back from it, especially if their behavior makes headlines. Concerning WBD, it isunlikely that Miller will return as Flashif DC Studios Co-CEO Peter Safran and James Gunn’s comments are anything to go by. However,The Flashis around the corner for those who want to support Miller at this difficult time.
