'Top Gun' actor defends his reputation after self-imposed, decade-long media ban from 'mishandled' profile

Miles Teller attempted to reclaim a negative narrative after being labeled "kind of a d---" more than one decade ago.

The "Top Gun" actor admitted he's shied away from editorial profiles since disagreeing with an Esquire feature published in 2015.

Teller, 39, recognized the challenges with longevity in an ever-changing industry while chatting with IndieWire, but also noted how his trajectory was almost thwarted by what he believed was a misaligned profile.

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"That was so mishandled. The reason why I have not done profiles is because I said, 'Wow, if I'm not doing this interview on camera, this person can misquote things or put things out of order or say things that didn’t happen,'" he said.

"It felt like such a violation of what actually transpired."

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Teller recalled telling his team that he wasn't interested in that form of press, "Because I’m reading this and this doesn’t sound like me to me. This is not life, so why would I ever want to be a part of something where they can just put that in?"

"So it’s unfortunate that being a good person, that doesn’t sell," Teller confessed. "People want to click on the negativity.

"If you go to bed and put your head on your pillow and how you treat people truly, that’s what matters. That [2015] interview was like 12 years ago."

Despite what the public had access to through printed words, Teller defended his peers for being able to recognize work ethic over personality clashes.

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"The actors, the directors, the crew, the producers … you can’t hide who you are when you’re on set," Teller said.

Teller's truth caught the ire of social media users who questioned the sincerity behind his self-inflicted media ban.

"Ironically, sounds like kind of a d---," one user wrote, while another, "I mean, a bunch of people who’ve met him and talked to him irl have said he and his wife aren’t very pleasant to talk to. I don’t think it’s because of the press profiles."

One user noted that it's "tough how negativity sells these days."

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"I can see why he'd be cautious after that experience," one user wrote on X. "Misquotes can be really damaging to someone's reputation."

Following the 2015 expose, Teller slammed the publication online, and wrote that they "couldn't be more wrong" about the title bestowed upon him.

"Miles Teller is on a quest for greatness (with a bit of d---ishness too,)" Esquire tweeted at the time.

He responded, "@esquire couldn't be more wrong. I don't think there's anything cool or entertaining about being a d-— or an a---ole. Very misrepresenting."