After brief cameos in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Suicide Squad, audiences will finally get to see The Flash in Justice League where he will be standing still and out of costume – as good old Barry Allen, an excessively energetic student attending Central City College.
Playing the “Scarlet Speedster” is 25-year-old Ezra Miller, whom we last saw as Credence Barebone in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. The New Jersey-native, however, is probably best known for playing Kevin in the 2011 film We Need To Talk About Kevin.
In an interview transcript provided by Warner Bros, Miller shared that he practised martial arts for two years to prepare for the role of The Flash, going as far as the Wudang mountains in China, in order to interpret the movements of the fastest man alive.
Miller also worked with dancers and choreographers, as well as looked at nature as research. He said: “I was also inspired by crows, cheetahs, mongooses and other fast-moving and intelligent creatures, as well as by rushing water and, of course, lightning.”
Barry Allen doing his heroic thing as The Flash. Photo: Warner Bros.
1. Are you a comic-book fan?
I’ve been a big comics fan from a very young age. I was really into Batman and wore a foamy Superman suit around the house for a few months.
As a kid, I also put a lot of time and energy into writing and drawing comics. I had a whole series about three elderly women who were assassins, which was called, I’m Getting Too Old For This. I even invented a superhero called Super Pig, who was a chameleonic swine of sorts.
My nanny has a massive collection of Super Pig merchandise I handmade, including shirts, action figures and comic book issues; the comics were drawn with one crayon (laughs).
When my parents took me into the city as a youngster, I’d always beg to go to a well-known comic book store called Forbidden Planet. I just wanted to live there, (not only) in the store, but also in the stories that rested on its shelves.
2. How much did you know about The Flash as a kid?
I wasn’t a particularly big reader of The Flash at that age, but I do recall that as a youth, when I would be running around outside, I would often get a little ahead of myself and my feet, as a result, would pull what quickly became known as a definitive move of mine – and what my mother called – the face plant.
This involved me taking a full nose-dive into concrete, potholes, other children … you name it. It was a very perilous tendency.
I went to the hospital for nose-dive related injuries a few times. So, I feel the role of The Flash dwelled and swelled within me, even then.
Actor Ezra Miller leaps as he walks the red carpet at the world premiere of Justice League in Los Angeles. Photo: Reuters
3. What aspects of The Flash and the character’s history did you connect with?
Much of The Flash’s mythology is imbued with the sensations of Barry Allen’s heart through his anguishes and triumphs. It’s his heart that drives him to connect with and serve the world.
Barry is not infallible or immortal; he is very much a fragile, vulnerable human being. He also is not fearless.
I found a link between myself and Barry in our admiration of the people around us. Barry and I are both nerds and fans of superheroes.
The gang is here to save the day. Photo: Warner Bros
4. Describe the relationship between Batman and The Flash?
Batman and The Flash embody huge polarities in their approach to being a superhero.
Barry is a novice; Bruce is a veteran. Bruce is sardonic, cynical and cantankerous and bears a rightfully earned pessimism about the world.
Barry, even though he comes from similarly tragic origins, which so many heroes share, laughs at fear and floods every situation with appreciation, enjoyment and optimism – even as he stares into the abyss.
So, Batman and The Flash are as different in their approaches to their reality as two people can be.
Yet, there’s an appreciation and admiration for one another, as well as a recognition of something more fundamental in their identical intents, origins and practices.
Ben Affleck and I had so much fun exploring the dynamic of Barry and Bruce because the characters are such classically satisfying foils for each other.
5. What was your favourite moment off and on set?
The costume design and fitting process was lengthy and fascinating.
I went in for more costume fittings on Justice League than I had for all my previous movies, combined; I think it was 25 fittings.
I was devoted to the idea that I would be able to fully manoeuvre wearing the costume, and I wanted my body to correspond to the suit. The wardrobe department worked absolute miracles.
I was a wreck of excitement every single day of production. I was just ultra-pumped. hyper-stoked and uber-jazzed.
We had many long days, during which I got to observe our crew members being real-life superheroes – holding heavy objects above their heads for 12 or 14 hours straight, like Superman, but these are human beings with a normal relationship to physics.
There’s really intense and impressive work that goes into making these movies.
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(From left) Cast members Jason Momoa, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher and Ben Affleck attend the world premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Justice League, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. Photo: AFP
Same venue, a few seconds later. Photo: Reuters
