This is the best news I have heard all week. One of my favorite actors, Ezra Miller, has been cast as Barry Allen, aka The Flash, in the 2018 movie by the same name. Miller is not only from my home state of scenic New Jersey, he is a feminist who regularly protests for reproductive rights, including at the One Billion Rising action at Times Square on Valentine’s Day 2012. When asked about his sexuality, he identifies as queer, and told Out magazine, “I am very much in love with no one in particular.”
I know you’re probably wondering why you should give a crap about this guy being cast. Well, it’s always nice to hear of an “out” queer person being cast as a lead in a big-budget blockbuster. Don’t be confused though, for he isn’t the first LGBTQIA+ person to play a superhero. Sir Ian Mckellan played Magneto, Ellen Page played Kitty Pryde, Alan Cumming played Nightcrawler, and Anna Paquin played Rogue and Neil Patrick Harris voiced The Flash in an animated film. Though not all of these actors were “out” at the time, it does not invalidate the significance. This is so exciting because it actually shows that LGBTQIA+ members of Hollywood don’t have to prove themselves to get “manly” roles or roles relating to their gender norm and stereotype.
Miller is also set to appear in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League: Part 1. His blockbuster The Flash is due out in four years.
Photos via Comicvine.com and Tumblr.
