Ezra Miller: 5 things about new 'Flash'

Ezra Miller, center, starred with Mae Whitman and Erin Wilhelmi in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."

• Miller told Out magazine he is queer


• He will star in the DC Comics film "The Flash"


• Miller has had trouble with the law

(CNN) -- The headlines about Ezra Miller may focus on him being the first openly gay actor to portray a superhero in a major motion picture -- but that's probably not exactly how the actor would phrase it.

"I'm queer," he told Out magazine in a 2012 interview. "I have a lot of really wonderful friends who are of very different sexes and genders. I am very much in love with no one in particular."

Miller has been cast as the Flash in the DC Comics movie universe, presumably appearing in "Justice League Part 1," which is set for 2017, before taking the lead role in "The Flash," scheduled for 2018. He has attracted attention from critics and fans for his roles in dramas such as "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin."

Wonder Woman, Aquaman and more headed to theaters

Here are five things to know about the actor:

1. He started young.

Miller was only 6 years old when the New Jersey native would make treks into New York for a role in Philip Glass' contemporary opera "White Raven." The arts are in his blood, he has said.

"My mother is an artist through and through," he told Interview magazine. "She's a modern dancer. And I think the way she raised her children was with a playful, curious inquiry into the world."

2. He's still young.

Despite having longevity in the business, winning raves from respected costars like Tilda Swinton and being a bit of a darling of the indie movie world, the actor is only 22 years old. Independent film has been a perfect training ground for him.

"Everything you do as a young and budding artist will be, in some way or another, independent," Miller said. "And then if you can be doing independent work that is subsidized in some way, that's a huge, beautiful leap in and of itself."

3. Speaking wasn't always easy for him.

The actor can actually thank his career, in part, for having to overcome a major challenge.

Miller had such a pronounced stutter at an early age that he was introduced to singing to help overcome it. And so a career in opera was born.

4. You may have seen him locking lips with ...

The actor and his "Beware of the Gonzo" costar Zoe Kravitz (daughter of rocker Lenny) were photographed in a make-out session that sparked speculation the pair had gotten really, really close on set. The 2010 movie about an underground student newspaper was filmed in an actual high school, which may have helped contribute to their possible summer romance.

"It was fun," Kravitz said of filming. "It was just like being in school again."

5. He's had some legal trouble.

An arrest in 2011 on marijuana possession charges garnered Miller some headlines and unwanted attention, but there were at least two people who weren't surprised. He told Details magazine that his parents weren't at all shocked when they learned of the charges.

"My parents had been gritting their teeth for that phone call for a long, long time," he said.