Issa Rae didn’t hold back in her interview with Elle, calling out Hollywood for shielding dangerous individuals, one reportedly being Ezra Miller.
“While I don’t support people jumping to immediate conclusions and I think it’s entirely fair for investigations to happen, I think it’s extremely important to, like the mantra says, ‘Listen to women,’” Rae said. “I’m gonna be real, the stuff that’s happening with Ezra Miller is, to me, a microcosm of Hollywood. There’s this person who’s a repeat offender, who’s been behaving atrociously, and as opposed to shutting them down and shutting the production down, there’s an effort to save the movie and them.”
Miller was arrested twice in Hawaii earlier this year. They were charged with disorderly conduct and harassment following altercations with multiple people, and charged with second-degree assault one month later for allegedly throwing a chair at a woman and leaving a half-inch scar on her forehead.
Miller has also been charged with felony burglary stemming from an accusation that they stole several bottles of alcohol from a Vermont residence when no one was home. Then, of course, there’s the report that a mother and her three children were living on Miller’s Vermont farm, which has been described as “chaotic” and “unsafe.”
Despite the onslaught of bad press surrounding Miller, Warner Bros. continued to push forward with The Flash. Miller issued an apology in August, and had a “very positive meeting” with studio executives which ultimately kept the DC tentpole on track for a June 2023 release.
“That is a clear example of the lengths that Hollywood will go to to save itself and to protect offenders,” Rae continued. “So, don’t do that, and women may be able to thrive. They won’t have to live in fear of keeping silent because it’ll ruin their careers. It’s just a constant pattern of abuse that’ll only persist if Hollywood continues to insist on being this way.”
By specifically mentioning the Miller situation, Issa singled out Warner Bros., the same company that signed her to an eight-figure film and television deal last year. Read her full Elle cover story here.
