Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Miles Teller On Top Gun: Maverick, Learning From Tom Cruise, SPIDERHEAD On Netflix

Episode Date: June 16, 2022

Miles Teller (@miles_teller) is an actor known for his roles in films like Top Gun: Maverick, Whiplash, The Spectacular Now, War Dogs, Bleed For This, Footloose and The Divergent Franchise. He joins Chris Van Vliet to talk about his new movie SPIDERHEAD that starts streaming on Netflix on Friday, June 17th. He talks about working with Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski on Spiderhead, what he learned starring with Tom Cruise, his wife Keleigh Sperry's thoughts on his mustache, the role that changed his career and much more! Find out more about SPIDERHEAD on Netflix: http://netflix.com/spiderhead If you enjoyed this episode, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast/iTunes? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests. For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com Follow CVV on social media:  Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All systems are gathered. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Van Blaine! Hey, that's me. I'm Chris Van Fleet. Thank you for the lovely and enthusiastic introduction, Justin Roberts. Yes, we are back again on another audio adventure here on Insight. So pumped to have you with us for an amazing conversation with the insanely talented Miles Teller. And I think that when you hear his name, at least right now, the immediate movie that pops into your head,

is Top Gun Maverick, which, by the way, is such a good movie. If you haven't seen it, go do yourself a favor and go see this movie. And I'll say it. I will say it. I think it's better than the original. Don't get me wrong. The original Top Gun is such a classic, but this movie and the story in this movie is like really close to perfect, in my opinion at least. But when you look at all the films that Miles Teller's been in, it's quite the list.

War Dogs. The Spectacular Now, Rabbit Hole. Have you seen Whiplash? Oh, man. Add Whiplash to your list of movies to watch as well. Nominated for five Oscars. That's the movie that J.K. Simmons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. And Miles has a new movie coming out.

It starts streaming on Netflix this Friday, June 17th, called Spiderhead. He stars in it with Chris Hemsworth, who we had on the show earlier this week. You can check out that interview two episodes ago. Both are such great guys. And I think that was my third interview with Chris Hemsworth and also Miles Teller and just so grateful for how kind they are. And it was such a pleasure to share a conversation with both of them. Speaking of sharing, share this episode with someone who you know will love this and take a screenshot. Tag us online if you put it online.

Miles is at Miles Teller if you're not following me. I am at Chris Van Fleet and I'm trying to make these intros as short and condensed as possible. So let's dive into this right now. Please welcome. Miles, Teller. Miles, you are just absolutely crushing it with this and with Top Gun,

two movies out at the same time. I know, and a show and the offer is on Paramount Plus right now. It's a lot of, it might be too much. I mean, this is incredible. So congratulations on everything. Thank you.

I appreciate it. When you work with Joe, the same director as Top Gun Maverick, you wrap that, then a little while later you pick up on this one, is it like just kind of like rekindling with an old friend? 100%. I mean, Joe, we've had such a good time on this, you know,

because we're still in the middle of the Top Gun Press Tour right now. Now we're doing, you know, the Spiderhead press together. And he's just, yeah, man, he's my, he's my brother from another mother. I really do feel like we have a pretty good thing going right now. And I hope it's the first, or the, we've done three together now. But I hope there's, you know, many more to come. That was an epic mustache. that you had in Top Gun.

And when you wrapped on filming, were you sad to see it go? Or did you, like, hang on to it for a few days afterwards? I was sad to see it go. My wife was, I think she was counting down. She was, like, on a calendar, crossing out days until she could shave it. Your character in this film is in the place that he's at

because of, like, one very specific moment in his life. And I'm curious for you in your career. What's that career-defining moment for you? you that took things to that next level to get you where you're at now. Oh, I don't, man, I don't know. I think I got really lucky with the first film that I did. It was this movie. It was called Rabbit Hole.

And it was with Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart and Deanne Weist and with John Cameron Mitchell directing it. And to get that opportunity, like, right out of college, I really think that, you know, right off the bat, I was in a movie that people saw. You know, Nicole got nominated for an Oscar for it. And, you know, that was a really, I couldn't have started with a better film. And I don't know, I think each thing kind of builds your audience in a new way. And now with Topka, and I mean, I don't know, we'll see what happens after this.

I'm kind of taking it all in as it comes. The United States Soccer Federation present the U.S. Soccer Podcast. My name is David Goss, and I'm joined by my co-host, Megan Clevenberg. And now we're giving people an inside look at the welcome. Time's ticking. I think you can feel the intensity. All the guys are wanting to really take their claimant, and they want to be on that World Cup roster.

There's no doubt about it. Hosting the World Cup on the home soil comes with its pressures, but we're just really excited just as the people are. The U.S. Soccer Podcast, presented by Henko, follow and listen on your favorite platform. What do you think is like one piece of advice you learned as a young actor that you're now carrying with you on the sets that you go on now is, you know, I'm more experienced actor?

Oh, I mean, well, it always has to be about, the work, I think it's, I think some people get too caught up in how they're being perceived. And I think they try and, I don't know, I'm trying to figure out of phrases, but it's really, it's really all about the scene work. I mean, that's the most important thing. But something I've taken with me, you know, I've had, I've been number one on a call sheet a couple times. And that's something I take with a heft amount of responsibility. And I try and be that person. that is there for the cast and the crew and try and, you know, just bring a certain levity to certain situations, but just be a good person, be prepared and understand, man, that there's so many

people working longer hours than you. They're doing a tougher job than you. So don't, don't take yourself too seriously, I think is something I've maintained. When you're doing that scene work, especially in a movie like this, like you had to play a wide range of emotions. Like you're like snap of the fingers, you have to play in emotion. What's the hardest one to play for you in a movie like this? Oh, I mean, the one scene was tough because I'm talking about something like it's the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, right? Like my character's serotonin.

It's really pumping and it's all imaginary because in the reality I'm just staring at like a bunch of crew guys and like a steel fence. And I remember there was this one like garbage truck that kept driving around during the whole time. And I was just getting really frustrated by it. But yeah, I mean, that was a tough one. When you learn a specific skill for a movie like Whiplash, one of my favorite movies, you learn how to play the drums, Top Gun, you know, fly a jet, footloose, you learn how to dance. Do those stay with you? Like, could you do any of those at the level that you were doing them on set?

Well, I've always been a good dancer. I just want to put that on the record. You either got rhythm or you don't, and it's not really something you can learn. But with the jets, that was being able to withstand like G-Forces in a jet, that's a depreciating skill. If I were to go up in an F-18 tomorrow, I would probably puke everywhere the whole time.

What's one thing? Because you filmed Maverick and then you went and did this. What's something you learned from, being on set with Tom Cruise that you took with you to a movie like this. I think it's a little bit of what I talked about before just with that kind of, you know, that leadership responsibility and what that means and also to understand, you know, how many how many people are feeding their families, you know, from this business. And like I said, there's always somebody that's working longer hours than you.

There's always somebody doing a job that you wouldn't want to do. So I think just really, I don't know, acknowledging that and treating your time together as everybody's my, everybody's my, I'm working with everybody. You know, it's not just the actors. I, you know, I try and get to know a little bit about every person I'm working with. Well, I want to acknowledge you. Like, thank you for always being so kind. And, like, dude, you were just absolutely crushing it. So congratulations to you.

There we go. Big thank you to Miles for joining us. Big thank you to you. as well for always being on this journey with us. Spiderhead is available on Netflix beginning this Friday, June 17th, and I'm willing to bet that you know a Miles Teller fan or a Top Gun fan, so please send this episode to them, share this with them, take a screenshot, tag us on social media so we can share it as well.

Miles is at Miles underscore Teller. I'm at Chris Van Fleet, and I'll leave you with this great quote from Helen Keller. Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. Be great and be grateful. We'll see you tomorrow for another episode of Insight. Jim Rome takes on sports.

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