+ WHAT A PERFORMANCE: Teller’s reputation took a beating after an Esquire story pegged him as a “dick.” His latest movie should change that.
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WHEN MILES TELLER landed the role of American boxing champion Vinny Pazienza in the new movie Bleed for This, he tells me, the real-life Pazienza sent him a signed photo. With an inscription. “Miles,” it said, “put a banana in your undies if you have to make it look bigger. Don’t fuck up my reputation.” Months later, it was Teller’s reputation that was on the line.
At just 29, Teller has already experienced the kind of tabloid scandal that can derail even the most promising of Hollywood careers. His troubles began in summer 2015 when Esquire magazine ran an interview identifying him as a “dick.” The piece—a litany of misjudged humor, including Teller comparing his penis to a highball glass—went viral and spawned a thousand listicles.