It’s been four years since we last saw Whiplash’s Miles Teller in a movie, but later this year, he’s finally making his cinematic return with both Top Gun: Maverick and Escape from Spiderhead. However, months ahead of either movie’s release, Teller’s in the news, only for personal reasons rather than professional. The actor was reportedly punched in the face during his vacation in Hawaii.
This incident happened Wednesday when Miles Teller and his wife, Keleigh Sperry, were eating dinner at the Monkeypod Kitchen in Maui, according to TMZ. According to the outlet’s sources, Teller was confronted by a man in the bathroom who promptly punched him. The confrontation moved to outside of the bathroom, and Teller reportedly screamed that he was going to press charges. Police confirmed that the incident happened on Wednesday at around 7:30 PM, and while no one was arrested, there is an investigation underway.
So why did this mystery man punch Miles Teller? Supposedly he’s a wedding planner who claimed that Miles Teller owed him $60,000 for the services he performed for Teller and Keleigh Sperry’s wedding in 2019. Eyewitnesses at the restaurant allege that this man was complaining to Teller about not being paid. The incident concluded with Teller and Sperry leaving the restaurant, and the former did not appear to be “seriously injured.”
A representative for Miles Teller did not respond to TMZ’s request for comment, so it remains to be seen if we’ll get an official statement from the actor about what went down in Maui. Assuming all of this went down as reported, it’s definitely not an ideal incident to happen while trying to relax on vacation. On the other end of the spectrum, though, Teller and Keleigh Sperry have previously been sighted spending time fellow Divergent actor Shailene Woodley and her husband, football player Aaron Rodgers, during their getaway.
Obviously we’ll keep you apprised of any updates concerning Miles Teller’s Hawaii confrontation, but he isn’t the only actor to be punched out in public recently. Back in October, Ghostbusters actor Rick Moranis was sucker punched while walking down a street on New York Upper West Side in the morning. Moranis subsequently went to the hospital to be treated for his injured head, back and hip, and the suspect who assaulted him was arrested the following month.
As far as Miles Teller professional endeavors go, the last time he he appeared in the cinematic realm was in 2017, when he starred in both Only the Brave and Thank You For Your Service. However, Teller kept busy in 2019 in the television world, starring as Martin Jones in the Amazon Prime Video miniseries Too Old to Die Young. Now he’s back in the film space with Top Gun: Maverick and Escape from Spiderhead, though only the former is a theatrical release, while the latter will premiere exclusively on Netflix. For Maverick, Teller is starring as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, son of the late Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, who died in the original Top Gun.
Top Gun: Maverick flies into theaters on November 19, and Escape from Spiderhead doesn’t have a release date yet. If you’re curious about what other movies are coming out later in the year, scan through our 2021 release schedule.
