Ezra Miller makes his first public appearance since the offscreen controversies at The Flash premiere

In a bit of life imitating art, Ezra Miller made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance at the premiere of The Flash on Monday.

It marks the first high profile appearance for the star since a number of off-screen controversies last year. At the premiere, which was held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Miller, who uses their/them pronouns, posed for a number of photos on the red carpet in support of the film.

The film’s director, Andy Muschietti, crew, and cast members such as Ben Affleck and Sasha Calle were also on hand to support the film, which follows Miller’s Barry Allen who uses super speed to change the past and save his family, but instead creates a very bleach world that’s facing annihilation. The film also stars Michael Keaton, reprising his role as Batman, who it was previously reported would not make the premiere due to conflicting filming schedules.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock (13963134dl) Ezra Miller 'The Flash'  film premiere, Los Angeles, California, USA - Jun 12, 2023

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock (13963134dl) Ezra Miller ‘The Flash’ film premiere, Los Angeles, California, USA – 12 Jun 2023

Matt Baron/IDX/Shutterstock Ezra Miller at ‘The Flash’ premiere

Miller’s public controversy began in earnest in April of last year, when the actor was arrested multiple times in Hawaii for various public disturbances. From there, they were accused in a legal complaint of grooming a minor, even though the individual involved, who is now an adult, denies that happened. In separate incidents, Miller was also served a temporary restraining order for allegedly harassing a minor, and was accused of exposing three children and their mother to guns in the actor’s Vermont farmhouse.

Separately, Miller pleaded not guilty to felony burglary in a case in Vermont, but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of unlawful trespass. The ongoing publicity surrounding the controversy also caused an earlier video in which Miller appeared to choke a woman at a bar in Iceland to resurface, after first making the rounds online in April 2020.

In August, Miller reveals they were suffering from “complex mental health issues” for which they were seeking help. “Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering from complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment,” Miller said. “I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.”

Though speculation abounded over how Warner Bros. and the filmmaking team would handle the release of the film in the wake of the controversies, Muschietti and his sister, producer Barbara Muschietti, told EW that there was never a threat of the film being shelved, and that they were in support of Miller receiving help. “We have a lot of empathy in general for people who need help, and especially in mental health issues. That’s why they are taking the necessary steps to deal with their recovery, and we support them in that,” he said. Andy also previously told EW that he would welcome Miller back to the role in the future and that he didn’t “think there’s anyone that can play that character as well as they did.”

The Flash hits theaters Friday.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content: