The moment 'Silicon Valley' decided to split with TJ Miller
The team at Silicon Valley has finally come out with the story behind the show's decision to cut ties with one of its stars, TJ Miller.
A handful of issues led to Miller's departure from Silicon Valley in May of last year, The Hollywood Reporter reported Wednesday, including frequent tardiness, a tendency to fall asleep on set, and his abuse of alcohol and other substances.
In its cover story about Silicon Valley's upcoming return to HBO for its fifth season, The Hollywood Reporter detailed Miller's less-than-ideal behavior and noted that the show's decision to cut ties with the actor "had been a long time coming."
Miller has publicly referenced his own propensity to use alcohol and drugs before, so it doesn't come as a big surprise that he would at times show up to work under the influence of one thing or another, or sometimes not show up at all.
"Table reads would start late as the cast and crew waited on the untamable actor, and when he did arrive he typically hadn't cracked open the script," THR reported. "Schedules would regularly have to be rejiggered, and sources from the set recount tales of Miller falling asleep between takes, leaving cast and crew to nudge him awake."
Silicon Valley creator Mike Judge noted his displeasure in working with someone like that.
"It's not fun to work with someone who doesn't want to be there, [especially when] they're one of the main people and you've got however many crewmembers and extras and people who are [not paid as well] and they're all showing up before 7 a.m., and then are just like, 'Oh, OK, we're not shooting today,'" he told THR.
It became too much to put up with so Judge presented Miller with an option to come back for three episodes in Season 5 for a send-off, but he would no longer be able to work on the show after that. But Miller wasn't interested, THR reported, so he finished off Season 4 never to return again.
Miller spoke to THR and gave his own account of what was really behind his inability to make it to work on time or stay awake.
"I'm not high when I work because it gets in the way of the comedy," Miller told THR. "I also am not a guy who's blackout-drunk, bumping into things on set. … What was occurring was I was out doing stand-up all the time, even if it meant I only got three hours of sleep. So, the thing I have a problem with? It's pushing myself to do too much."
In December, Miller was accused of physical and sexual assault in the midst of the #MeToo movement. The woman alleged that Miller assaulted her on two occasions in college. Miller denied this.
Since then, Comedy Central dropped Miller's upcoming TV show The Gorburger Show, although the company stated that it was for unrelated reasons.
Topics HBO
