One of my favorite films this year is writer/director Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash.  The film stars Miles Teller as a jazz drummer who aspires to greatness under a ruthless instructor, played brilliantly by J.K. Simmons.  While the film focuses on musicians, it’s really about anyone trying to become great at something and the cost of achieving said goal.  Trust me, it’s a great movie and something you should seek out when it comes to a theater near you.  For more on the film, read Matt’s review or watch the trailer.

Last week at the Los Angeles press day I landed an extended video interview with Miles Teller.  He talked about what the past year has been like, the experience of premiering at Sundance, how he views the promotional circuit, the tight 19-day schedule to shoot Whiplash, his interaction with Simmons on set, his relationship with Chazelle, preparing for Bleed for This and how he approaches preparation in general, how it felt to play a superhero in The Fantastic Four and getting along with the other actors in New Orleans, wanting to play Elvis, what he's looking to do in the future, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Miles Teller Time Index:

• 0:30 – Teller talks about the experience of premiering at Sundance.
• 2:30 – How he views the promotional circuit.
• 3:30 – What it's like to see so much critical praise for Whiplash and opportunities for actors his age.
• 6:50 – Talk about the tight 19-day schedule to shoot Whiplash.
• 7:50 – Describes his interaction with Simmons on set.
• 9:00 – Talks about his relationship with Chazelle.
• 10:15 – Talks about preparing for Bleed for This and how he approaches preparation in general.
• 11:00 – How it felt to play a superhero in The Fantastic Four and getting along with the other actors in New Orleans.
• 13:15 – His search for role starts with a good script and a good director.  Also says he'd like to play Elvis.