Miles Teller is at the top of his game. He starred in Best Picture nominated Whiplashbox office break Top Gun: Maverick and recently hosted the first episode of Saturday night live forty-eighth season.
But before everything of that, he was an aspiring young actor in the small town of Lecanto, Florida, where he attended Lecanto High School. It was at LHS that Teller ran the school’s drama club and received countless accolades for his performances in stage productions and short films. Shorts are a standard piece of the puzzle for beginning actors, a necessary tool to hone their skills and develop their talents.
We’ve tracked down three of Miles Teller’s early shorts. Each of them featuring a young high school or college aged Miles Teller showcasing the first glimpses of the massive talent he would later display.
Also Read: Top Gun: Maverick Star Miles Teller Trolls Adam Levine in SNL Skit
Undeclared workers
The first of three shorts is Undeclared workers. A story of heartbreak that leads to a night of bad decisions and violence. Written and directed by Jesse Newman (in fact, all three of these shorts are by young Jesse Newman), the story follows a group of high school kids, including a baby opposite Miles Teller, who plot a dangerous and elaborate heist. Of course, things don’t go as planned and the group soon finds itself in a world of trouble.
Watch here: “Moonlighters”, a short film with Miles Teller
A very specific recipe
A very specific recipe was Jesse Newman’s entry to the 48 Hour Film Festival. Jesse and Miles, who had attended high school together, were now in college. They were older and a bit more experienced. By the nature of the tight film festival schedule, the film is rough around the edges, but that only adds to its charm; especially given its plot of a failed toxic relationship.
Watch here: “A Very Specific Recipe”, a short film starring Miles Teller
Sean
Sean is the weirdest movie on the list and it’s the only one of three not to feature Miles Teller in the lead role. A young boy with no social skills navigates the world until his own quirks put him on a collision course with violence. Although Mile’s role is smaller, it is unforgettable and perfectly displays the talents that would later propel the actor into superstardom.
Watch here: ‘Sean’, a short film starring Miles Teller
It’s fascinating to watch the evolution of Teller’s performance throughout the three shorts and in his starring role in Top Gun: Maverick. It’s like watching Morgan Freeman in that Alka Seltzer commercial. There’s no denying that Teller had talent, even when that talent was on display in student films and school musicals.
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