Get to know Miles Teller, star of Whiplash

With the pace and intensity of an action movie, Teller plays the role of a promising young drummer who enrolls at a cutthroat music conservatory. He finds himself under the wing of the most respected professor at the school, Fletcher (JK Simmons).

The two form an odd relationship as the student tries to achieve greatness, with a professor who will stop at nothing to help him do so.

What was your relationship with music before tackling this project?

“I grew up playing a lot of instruments, and the drums was one I felt pretty natural at.”

How challenging was the musical aspect of your performance?

“Well, even though I had drummed for a long time, I had never played jazz before and felt pretty naïve to the genre. I knew about Buddy Rich, Jo Jones and those guys; but I had never focused on the skill they were using, so that was the trickiest part of my preparation: being comfortable enough to not feel like I was having to act.”

That must have been hard to do…

“Yes, because when you know your character is supposed to be this great drummer, if I was pretty bad I would have had a hard time even acting like I was any good!”

What does Andrew – your character – go through in the story?

“When you first meet him, he is a back-up drummer in a low-level band at his school, until for whatever reason JK Simmons’ character sees something in him and picks him to be the guy he is going to push further than he has really pushed anybody. So Andrew starts out with a marginal skill, but has drive and determination and work ethic. A lot of times, if you have talent but don’t work hard at it the people who didn’t have as much talent will catch up and pass you. It comes down to hours of practice and to how much you want it – and Andrew wants it more than anybody.”

Watching the film, one wonders if all that sacrifice is worthwhile?

“Yes, and I think we don’t really answer that question but rather give people the opportunity to ask themselves the same thing. I guess for Andrew it’s worth it, as he finally starts to achieve what he set out to achieve.”

You seem to be embracing very different roles in your career?

“I have always had a wide range of tastes going back to high school and then college, where I did drama and comedy. And it all comes from the desire of wanting to do something different to inspire and challenge yourself. So, I do feel I have been able to kind of steer my career early on; which is difficult, as you are normally just trying to get your foot in the door. I have been very lucky in that respect to have people appreciate Whiplash, which demanded so much of me.”