Whatever Happened To Miles Teller?

Ever since he rose to prominence with 2010's "Rabbit Hole," starring alongside Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, Miles Teller has been showcasing his versatility in a range of genres. From buddy comedies to action flicks, rom-coms, and psychological dramas, he's proven himself as a phenomenal actor, but Teller hasn't had the easiest time in the entertainment industry. Since the infamous Esquire profile on Teller was released in 2017, which characterized him as "kind of a d***," the actor has been fighting to maintain his reputation.

During an interview with Vulture in 2017, the "Whiplash" star remarked, "There's nothing I can control about how people see me as a person, but I can control how they think of me as an actor." Thankfully, Teller's tragic life story hasn't kept him down for long as he hit what was perhaps the peak of his career in 2022, starring in the Paramount+ series "The Offer," "Spiderhead," and, of course, "Top Gun: Maverick" as Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw. However, it seems the BAFTA-nominated actor's upward trajectory has paused since then, as he hasn't appeared in anything for a while, leading fans to wonder: whatever happened to Miles Teller?

Unsurprisingly, he hasn't disappeared completely, and Teller even has a long list of upcoming projects his fans will undoubtedly look forward to. Here's everything the actor has been up to since starring in the "Top Gun" sequel.

Thirty-six years after the incredible success of 1986's "Top Gun," the box office-smashing sequel was finally released, with a mustached Miles Teller playing Lieutenant Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, son of Nick "Goose" Bradshaw. While his on-screen character butts heads with Tom Cruise's Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, in reality, Teller had a blast working with the actor and is optimistic about working with him again.

In speaking with Screen Rant in May 2022, the actor explained, "I'm trying to get a 'Top Gun: Rooster.' I've been pitching it. We'll see what happens. I don't know. I think it's interesting. Obviously, everybody was begging Tom to do a sequel right after the first one came out. I think this movie puts a nice bow on it; it really kind of wraps it up, but we'll see. I'm available."

There might be a lot of strange things everyone ignores about Cruise, but there's no denying that he holds a lot of power in Hollywood. When Teller was asked by Entertainment Tonight in July 2022 whether he'd want to be involved in another "Top Gun" movie, he replied, "That would be great, but that's all up to TC. It's all up to Tom. I've been having some conversations with him about it. We'll see." As of January 2024, the third installment has been greenlit, but since Cruise holds the keys to the "Top Gun" kingdom, only time will tell whether the story will center around Rooster.

Pre-made cocktails in a can have grown in popularity in recent years. While you probably shouldn't be drowning gin every night, The Finnish Long Drink is a take on the traditional gin and grapefruit soda cocktail that's totally worth the hype — at least, according to Miles Teller, a partner in the company. He stumbled upon a tasting event held by the founders of company and loved the product so much that he wanted to invest.

Danny Mandelbaum, Vice President of Marketing, spoke with BevNET.com in January 2023 about their partnership with Teller, saying, "When we first started to work with Miles, we did so because of his passion for the authentic history behind the category. He's a partner that has had full faith in us as a team and the product, and we're excited to see what we accomplish with Miles in the year ahead."

Teller hasn't been shy about endorsing the drink. When asked by Forbes in March 2024 about the similarities between promoting a movie and promoting a brand, he replied, "I think it's similar in that people can smell phoniness. ... I've been able to tell stories that I really want to tell. ... I'm able to talk about things that I'm passionate about. And I'm not a salesperson. I don't want to sell people something that I don't care about. ... I enjoy getting out there and talking to people about Long Drink."

The public hadn't seen Miles Teller's face on screen in a while when he made a surprise appearance in a 2023 Super Bowl ad for Bud Light with his wife, Keleigh Sperry, and their French bulldog, Bugsy. In the commercial, the couple dances in their living room to on-hold music from Sperry's phone while enjoying a couple of beers. Teller spoke with People in February 2023 about being offered the spot, saying, "When Bud Light came and wanted us to be a part of a Super Bowl commercial, I mean, that's the top of the mountain as far as these things go. We always look forward to watching them."

In terms of the actual dancing, Teller is no stranger to busting out a few moves on camera, but this was a little different. He continued, "There's a lot of improv. We did go to a rehearsal, just to be professional about it — but in the back of my head I was kind of figuring... I kind of knew the moves I wanted to do."

Super Bowl ads are notoriously expensive, costing companies as much as $7 million for a 30-second spot. While it's unclear how much the Hollywood couple was compensated for their appearance in the commercial, Teller joked with AP News at the time, "I feel like it was kind of like implied that I would never pay for a Bud Light again."

Having starred in all kinds of films over the years, Miles Teller has transformed into a confident actor, forging the career he wants for himself. In November 2016, he sat down with BAFTA Guru to talk about the advice he'd give to actors still trying to make it big. "I think it's really important to have a pretty clear vision for yourself in terms of the career that you want to have. I think that people are going to see you kind of do something at the beginning of your career and want you to keep doing that. ... I'll just say [to] be true to yourself and commit to the career that you want," he explained, clearly speaking from experience.

Teller's fans will get to see this for themselves in the coming years, as the actor has several upcoming projects in the works. He recently wrapped filming on "The Gorge," which will also star Anya Taylor-Joy and Sigourney Weaver. In addition, Teller is also set to star in "Michael," a docudrama about Michael Jackson set for release in April 2025, as the King of Pop's attorney John Branca.

In June 2024, it was also announced that Teller would be returning to the screen as a Navy officer in the remake of 1982's "An Officer And A Gentleman." He's set to take on the lead role of Zack Mayo, the character that gave Richard Gere his big break.

There's a lot of pressure and weight certain roles carry, and perhaps none more so than Jesus Christ. What you probably never knew about Miles Teller is that none other than Martin Scorsese believes he might have the chops to take on this role. In May 2023, the director announced during a conference at the Vatican (via Variety), "I have responded to the Pope's appeal to artists in the only way I know how: by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus. And I'm about to start making it." Filming for "A Life of Jesus" is expected to begin sometime in 2024 in Israel, Egypt, and Italy, and there's been a lot of talk about who will be playing the titular character.

It's been rumored that the role of Jesus will go to either Andrew Garfield, who previously worked with Scorsese on 2016's "Silence," or Teller. Both actors certainly have similar looks, but we'll have to just wait and see whether the "Whiplash" star will join the long list of actors who have played Jesus on screen, including Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Ted Neeley, and Will Ferrell, or if he'll perhaps play a disciple instead.