Miles Teller Calls Out ‘Violating’ Esquire Magazine Profile That Labelled Him ‘Kind Of A D**k’

Miles Teller has revealed he stopped doing written magazine profiles after the “violating” and now infamous Esquire profile that labelled him a “d*ck” back in 2015. 

If you’re not across the lore, the Whiplash star was the cover star of Esquire’s September 2015 issue, and the accompanying article, written by Anna Peele, wasn’t exactly flattering.

Among other barbs, the profile described Teller as “kind of a d**k”, said he’d “charm the world with his d**kishness”, that he “thinks he has something to offer”, and that everyone is “trying to figure out if he’s a d**k”.

Since he’s probably been ruminating on the word “d*ck” ever since, Teller was asked about the profile at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which he attended as part of the cast of his new movie Paper Tiger with Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.

“That was so mishandled,” Teller said of the profile at a Cannes press conference.

“The reason why I have not done profiles is because I said, ‘Wow, 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’. It felt like such a violation of what actually transpired,” he added. 

The actor said the profile prompted him to have a chat with his team about his press appearances moving forward. 

“I told my team, ‘Guys, I don’t think I’m doing this again, because I’m reading this and this doesn’t sound like me to me’,” he said.

As for why Esquire even pursued the “d**k” framing, Teller reckons it was a classic case of clickbait. “It’s unfortunate that being a good person — that doesn’t sell,” he said. 

“People want to click on the negativity. If you go to bed and put your head on your pillow and how you treat people truly, that’s what matters.”

In a final message on the “d**k” allegations, Teller said “the actors, the directors, the crew and the producers” he has worked without throughout his career all know who he really is because “you can’t hide who you are when you’re on set”. 

Teller did respond to the original profile back in 2015, writing on X that the publication “couldn’t be more wrong”. 

“I don’t think there’s anything cool or entertaining about being a d**k or an a**hole. Very misrepresenting,” he wrote. 

Teller joins a long line of celebs who have called out their depiction in the press, with Millie Bobby Brown slamming the journos who commented on her physical appearance last year and Abbie Chatfield condemning the “unfair” media coverage of her earlier this month.

Lead images: Getty and Esquire