Miles Teller: Anti-Establishment Flavor Characters, "Allegiant" in Blu-Ray

Before long, Aimee (Shailene Woodley) loosens up, drinks all day long out of a flask like Sutter (Miles Teller) and even makes sexual demands on him. She also insists that he find out what has happened to his absent father, about whom his mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) refuses to speak. Eventually, Sutter does just that and, contrary to the soothing stories he has told himself about his father, discovers the older man (Kyle Chandler) to be something of a womanizing barfly. The film and Tharp’s novel each has its attractions. Tharp’s Sutter offers various pointed remarks about the absurdities of contemporary American suburban life. One feels a certain affection for the narrator and his generally well-intentioned actions, many of which go awry. The novel even has a certain genial anti-establishment flavor to it. The film version of The Spectacular Now is an improvement upon the book in some ways, a falling off in others. Source: www.wsws.org

College students with an absent father are more likely to engage in casual sex, according to new research published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science. The study, conducted by Catherine Salmon of the University of Redlands along with her colleagues John M. Townsend and Jessica Hehman, examined the relationship between a father’s absence and the sexual behavior of college students. “There is a large amount of literature on life history strategy and psychosocial acceleration theory that suggests a strong impact of father absence on female sexual strategies and some evidence, from this new study and a few others, that it also impacts male sexual behavior,” Salmon told PsyPost. The earlier the students were no longer living with their biological father, the greater the number of one-night stands. 

This was true for both men and women. “Thus, father absence was a clear predictor of short-term reproductive decisions that affected both males and females, rather than a specific effect on females,” the researcher noted. According to life history theory, early life experiences can shape an individual’s expectations about the nature of other people, relationships, and life in general. Those faced with high stress, scarce resources, and insensitive parenting in early life develop a “fast life” strategy that typically includes “insecure attachment, early maturation, early sexual activity, and an emphasis on short-term mating.” Source: www.psypost.org

Just Jared: -What was your audition process like for Divergent?

Miles Teller: -I didn’t have to audition. The director saw Shailene Woodley and I in The Spectacular Now, and said, “Hey, would you be interested in this?” I originally auditioned for Four and that didn’t work out. And they’re like, “We think you would make a good villain. Would you want to play the role of Peter?” I said “Yeah, sure.” I didn’t know much about him. Once I was cast and people were talking about it online, I read the book after. I didn’t know that Peter was so hated.

Just Jared: -But he does have a soft spot for Tris…

Miles: -He saves her life. I think in the third book, I think he’s going to come around even more.

Miles Teller: -You read the book I think because it gives you more information about someone, which I want. But at the same time, I read about two-thirds of The Spectacular Now and then I think I just stopped because the more they were talking about this kid, that’s not how I was playing him. I didn’t want to get too invested in.

Allegiant Blu-Ray / Digital HD special features:

Audio Commentary with Producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher

Six Featurettes: “Allegiant: Book to Film,” “Battle in the Bullfrog: The Stunts and Choreography Behind This Thrilling Sequence,” “Finding the Future: Effects & Technology,” “Characters in Conflict: The Motivations Behind the Film’s Antagonists,” “The Next Chapter: Cast & Characters, Building the Bureau”

Allegiant DVD special features:

Audio Commentary with producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher

Two Featurettes: “Allegiant: Book to Film,” “Battle in the Bullfrog: The Stunts and Choreography Behind This Thrilling Sequence”

Meanwhile, the final movie in the Divergent Series (title Ascendant) will hit theaters next summer. A synopsis reads: “In this third exciting film in The Divergent Series, Tris and Four lead a team of rebels in a daring escape over the city wall—into a strange new world where they face a threat more dangerous than they ever imagined. Together, Tris and Four wage a furious battle for survival, fighting not only for their factions and loved ones, but for the future of an entire city in this dynamic, action-packed adventure.” Source: www.hypable.com

"Divergent," "Insurgent" and "Allegiant" book author Veronica Roth recently opened up about Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) and Peter Hayes' (Miles Teller) relationship in one of the books' deleted scenes. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Roth explained that "Strike First, Strike Hard" was deleted from "Allegiant" because it slowed down the pace of the story. According to Roth, "Strike First, Strike Hard" was supposed to also show Peter's vulnerable side. In the books, as well as the first two movies, Peter was depicted as Tris' nemesis. However, Peter later on teamed up with Tris and Four, and they escaped the Erudite compound together." It showed some of Peter's vulnerability as well as how much Tris has changed since he first tormented her in this dormitory," Roth said. Source: www.designntrend.com

Hero Complex: -I understand that the filming of “Insurgent” and “Fantastic Four” overlapped? How was it jumping between being the unlikable antagonist in one story to the hero of another?

Miles Teller: -It was difficult. It was harder than I thought it was going to be. I thought I would just be able to go to “Insurgent” and just be able to fall right back into Peter, but it was tough. I don’t walk around as Peter. I don’t carry myself in that way, so you have to kind of re-remember what you’re doing. I was pretty unsure of myself, actually, for a little bit, because you’re just not sure if what you’re doing is keeping the integrity of the character from what you were doing on the last film. And I saw it and I felt like I was pretty happy with some of the stuff I was able to do.

Hero Complex: -Many of the antagonists in “Insurgent” have more clear motivations that drive their actions, like what they think is best for society, or a longstanding rivalry. What do you see as Peter’s motivation?

Miles Teller: -I think it wavers. It wavers all the time, as it goes in life. It’s not like these people are his friends. He doesn’t know any of them, so he’s kind of figuring them out, and his biggest motivation is to survive. A lot of the people from the first movie died, so the fact that he didn’t means that he’s pretty smart and he’s cunning. He’s a pretty shifty character, but I think he’s really just looking out for himself. As the story progresses, and as Peter evolves, you find out that… he’s grown up by the end of “Allegiant.” Peter’s grown up, and he’s not happy with the kind of the person he was for a while. You’re just dealing with somebody who’s [still] kind of figuring out who they are.

In the span of a few years, Teller has gone from a browbeaten drummer in Whiplash to the lean Reed Richards in Fantastic Four. Now, he steps all the way into the spotlight, with a suitably with a ripped physique. Teller’s latest artistic undertaking centers on the storied career and tumultuous life of five-time lightweight boxing champion Vinny “the Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza. Pazienza suffered a devastating car accident that nearly left him paralyzed. Immobilized with a huge, cumbersome brace designed to help him heal two broken vertebrae, Pazienza was faced with a grueling recovery just to move and walk again—let alone reclaim a shadow of his former championship ability.

As with Paz's road to recovery, the stakes for Teller in Bleed for This are high and margin for error is slim. Martin Scorsese, who originally envisioned the project, is on as executive producer. Meanwhile, Teller's career is reaching a new height. In his October 2015 Men's Fitness cover story, Teller detailed how he trained and to get into peak athletic shape for his role. “Honestly, when I read the script,” Teller said in his profile, “I was like, ‘This is going to be really great for someone else.’ It was this masculine, macho story about this world champion boxer. I don’t think after people saw Whiplash or That Awkward Moment they thought of me and said, ‘This dude is a badass fucking boxer.’” Source: www.mensfitness.com