Miles Teller is still carrying the sting of a 2015 magazine profile that painted him in an unflattering light.
Speaking to Indiewire at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, the Paper Tiger star recalled how Esquire once described him as “kind of a d k” in a viral longform piece.
Teller said the experience “felt like such a violation” and convinced him to stop participating in traditional magazine profiles altogether.
“That was so mishandled,” he explained. “If I’m not doing this interview on camera, this person can misquote things or put things out of order or say things that didn’t happen… I don’t think I’m doing this again, because I’m reading this and this doesn’t sound like me to me.”
The Emmy nominee added that the profile’s framing was less about truth than clicks, “It’s unfortunate that being a good person, that doesn’t sell. People want to click on the negativity.”
Teller emphasized that those who work with him on set know his real character, “You can’t hide who you are when you’re on set.”
More than a decade later, the Fantastic Four alum remains wary of longform features, preferring interviews where his words can’t be reshaped.
