Miles Teller’s three favourite actors of all time: “I’ve always wanted to try and do all of it”
Miles Teller has already had quite the career, shooting to fame in his early 20s through films like Rabbit Hole and the intense modern classic Whiplash, with many commentators singling him out for future greatness.
It didn’t quite work out that way, and though I’m not laying all the blame at Fant4stic’s doorstep, that probably didn’t help his case. Then, he roared back into the limelight with Top Gun: Maverick, which reinvigorated his ability to show how good he can be, and just reading about this whole trajectory is enough to give you motion sickness.
His career has also varied in the types of roles he’s taken on, with his dramatic performaces being what he’s probably most famous for; however, he’s also a fan of comedy, once citing Dan Aykroyd as one of his heroes, reflected in his appearances in War Dogs, Project X, and Eternity, all of which show off his funny side with aplomb.
In an interview with Esquire, the former Reed Richards spoke about trying to balance these two sides of his personality in his work. Most actors tend to stick to one or the other, with very few being able to cross over effectively: just look at Robert De Niro, whose comedic exploits in the 2000s did irrevocable damage to his image. Nevertheless, the risk hasn’t put Teller off, as he knows that it can be done.
“I think from the time I’ve been able to really kind of understand acting, I’ve always wanted to try and do all of it,” he said, musing, “Comedy and dramas have been two careers, I guess, that I want to make sure that I keep a foot in. Some of my favourite actors, Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dustin Hoffman, they really are able to go back and forth, and I think it’s really hard to do, but I think if you want to and people allow you to, then you can have a very fulfilling career.”
Tom Hanks is the perfect example of what Teller is talking about, as ‘America’s Dad’ is just as famous for making audiences cry as making them laugh. He’s delivered some of the greatest dramatic knockouts of all time, from Saving Private Ryan to The Green Mile, while a Toy Story, a Big, or a Sleepless in Seattle are pretty much part of his wheelhouse too. Sometimes, he can do both in the same performance as seen in Forrest Gump, where he is equal parts hilarious and dramatic, depending on who Hanks is paired with onscreen.
As for the Hoffmans, no relation, Dustin is probably better known for this dynamic than the dearly departed Philip. The late actor is best known for his serious performances in the likes of Capote, The Master, and Doubt, the latter two of which take his characters to increasingly dark places. He could still make people laugh, though, and amongst his slew of successes, it’s easy to forget that he plays quite a big part in The Big Lebowski, acting as a go-between for the two titular characters. Then there’s the French tragicomedy Love Liza, one of Teller’s favourite films, where he plays a man who attempts (poorly) to cope with the suicide of his wife, wearing a comically longing gaze.
Not everyone can be funny, and not everyone can be serious, but there are those rare stars who can do both with poise, and Teller could do much worse than follow in their footsteps.
