Last week, word came in that Whiplash actor Miles Teller was punched in the face at a restaurant while vacation in Hawaii. At the time, it was reported that the alleged assailant was a wedding planner who claimed Teller owed him money for the actor’s 2019 nuptials, although days later, Teller’s wife, Keleigh Sperry, claimed that her husband had been jumped by two men neither of them had ever met. Now more information about Teller’s assault has come to light, with the focus once again being pointed on the wedding planner angle, specifically how this man and his wife got into a similar confrontation recently.
Video of a wedding planner named Lorrie Nielson causing a scene outside of a wedding at the Four Seasons Lanai several weeks ago has emerged online. According to TMZ, the outlet that originally reported on Miles Teller being punched and shared this new footage, the trouble started within the venue itself, but eventually spilled into the parking lot, which is where the video, which was recorded by one of the wedding’s guests, begins. You can see witnesses hold Nielson back as she comes towards the cameraman, and then she exclaims to the man who accompanied her “Russell, get him!” This Russell is Nielson’s husband and allegedly the same man who attacked Miles Teller at the Monkeypod Kitchen in Maui.
The video then shows Russell trying to prevent the confrontation from escalating, and by the end, we cut to the police taking Lorrie Nielson away and officers informing the cameraman to keep his distance from Russell. Police told TMZ that Nielson was arrested for criminal trespass in the second degree, and the couple did provide any comment. As far as the situation with Miles Teller is concerned, witnesses claim they heard Russell state that the actor owed him and his wife $60,000.
Clearly this is a saga rife with drama, and with both Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry maintaining that the former was actually assaulted by two unfamiliar men, it remains to be seen which is the true account. Needless to say we’ll let you know if a direct line is confirmed to exist between Teller and Russell. Still, whatever the circumstances are surrounding the actor’s assault, it’s definitely a damper on his vacation, which has also seen him and Sperry spending time with fellow Divergent star Shailene Woodley and her husband, football player Aaron Rodgers.
As far as Miles Teller’s professional life goes, he hasn’t appeared in the cinematic realm since 2017, when he starred in both Only the Brave and Thank You for Your Service. 2019, however, did see him appearing alongside actors like Augusto Aguilera and Jena Malone in the Amazon Prime Video miniseries Too Old to Die Young. 2021 marks Teller’s return to the film world, as he’s starring in Top Gun: Maverick with Tom Cruise, as well as appearing in the Chris Hemsworth-led Netflix movie Escape from Spiderhead.
While we wait for more updates on Miles Teller’s facial assault, look through our upcoming 2021 movies schedule to see what’s heading to a theater near you later this year.
