Some say that the clothes make the person, and that is definitely a fair assessment when it comes to the outfit that The Stand’s Ezra Miller will be wearing in the CBS All Access series. Recently confirmed to be playing the infamous character of The Trashcan Man, his latest ensemble is a far cry from his Justice League duds, as all he’s basically wearing are the essentials for his goals in life. Those goals happen to be “everything to do with fire,” and mostly have him wearing underwear, combat boots, and very little else.
A new interview with The Stand’s showrunner, Benjamin Cavell, confirmed Miller’s casting in the role, per an item released by EW. Springing this surprise casting on the world, Cavell also did some deep explaining as to why the Fantastic Beasts franchise actor landed the role. Part of that explanation also came with the following notes on costuming for The Trashcan Man:
He wears basically no clothes except for his extensive tactical gear. So he [sic] just kind of in underwear and combat boots … the character has to be right on the edge of over-the-top. But no matter how strangely he’s behaving there’s always this Ezra Miller soul as a twinkle coming through. I can’t say enough about how brilliant he is in it.
Played by veteran character actor Matt Frewer in the 1994 miniseries that ran on ABC, The Trashcan Man, aka Donald Elbert, is a pyromaniac of the highest order. An important role in The Stand’s overall story, he’s swayed to the side of Randall Flagg and his evil enclave set up in New Vegas. So, on top of seeing Ezra Miller dressed in pyro-tactical gear, and showing his glint of madness in the modern retelling of this iconic Stephen King novel, we’ll probably get to see him doing some work against Alexander Skarsgard’s own brand of crazy.
That combination sounds rather promising, and Miller’s unique costuming only helps make it so. However, there were some very level-headed concerns that the actor had about his wardrobe for The Stand. And it all started with two, very crucial words, as Ezra Miller himself would explain:
'Fireproof underwear' were two of the first words out of my mouth in the first conceptual meeting. I was very interested in working directly with the wardrobe department in creating a look based entirely on the practical demands of the characters pyromania. Trash wears nothing but what is necessary to craft incendiaries, ignite them, and get as close to the flames as possible — in order to revel in the fire.
Sadly, the announcement of Ezra Miller as The Stand’s new Trashcan Man comes with some bad news for all you fans of Marilyn Manson and Stephen King. As further revealed in the story, Manson was not in the running for Trash, as previously rumored. Rather, Mr. Manson was being considered to play The Trashcan Man’s temporary travel companion/fellow psychopath The Kid, and eventually this possibility fell through in the script phase. Ah, rumors; how quickly they catch on, only to be snuffed out just as swiftly. Though, this doesn’t dim the excitement around his cover of The Doors’ “The End,” which is supposed to appear in The Stand in some shape or form.
With a wild sounding costume, and an even wilder legacy he’s taking up as The Trashcan Man, Ezra Miller is about to leave his mark on the entertainment landscape again. And, it’s good to know that this time around he has a costume that should encourage the crazy movement he’ll need to engage in. Or, at the very least, one that allows him total movement of his arms and legs.
The Stand will premiere on CBS All Access, with the first episode dropping on December 17th, and all subsequent installments following on a weekly basis.
