Ezra Miller Says He ‘Probably’ Would Have Committed Suicide if He Didn’t Have Art
There's no denying that Ezra Miller is an incredible artist, but for him art is more than just a craft.
The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them actor spoke candidly with Playboy about the important role his many creative outlets – be it acting, performing with his band Sons of an Illustrious Father, fashion, or something else – have played in keeping him alive. Miller admitted that he's "survived abuse for sure," telling the magazine he "probably" would have died by suicide without his art.
His trauma dates back to "a pretty young age," when a friend with whom Miller had a sexual relationship became "violent".
"Art is the only thing that I have," he said. "If I didn't have art, I'd be so f---ing dead – so long ago, I'd be dead. I probably would have done it myself."
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Miller, who identifies as non-binary, but told GQ he's "comfortable with all the pronouns", revealed that he was "attacked" on more than one occasion throughout his lifetime by intolerant people.
"I've been attacked repeatedly in my life – I've been attacked by f---ing bigots, man," he said. "Of course I've been in audition situations where sexuality was totally being leveraged. It's really important to acknowledge the diversity of voice who have experienced this s---, and all genders, all capacities, all types of people. Everyone is a victim to it. Everyone is a survivor of it."
The 26-year-old actor/musician suggested during the interview that the key to overcoming such pain may lie in one brave soul bold enough to work a little "parasympathetic magic". Miller, who plays Credence Barebone – an American wizard adopted by an anti-magic family – in J.K. Rowling's latest Fantastic Beasts film said that person need not be a seasoned practitioner of witchcraft or wizardry, either.
"The way I see it, I am you, you are me, we dwell in each other, the whole world dwells in you. And anyone can heal the whole world just with parasympathetic magic, using their own body as a cauldron – anyone could do it, just no one has yet. That's why we're all still here 'cause no one's done it yet, so we're just waiting."