T.J. Miller's Exit From 'Silicon Valley' Was Because Of His 'Demons'
T.J. Miller, who played Erlich Bachman in Silicon Valley, allegedly left the HBO comedy series because of his "demons" that became a hindrance at work.
Miller's abrupt departure left a lot of fans in shock as he was a main cast, whose character remained to be one of the most iconic among the Silicon Valley's gang. However, his attitude toward working and coworkers' dubbed "demons" were really what led to his exit.
The 36-year-old was last seen on the season 4 finale of Silicon Valley, and news about his show departure become imminent even before it was announced. Finally, it was then confirmed that Miller is not coming back for season 5.
Creator Mike Judge, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, finally set the record straight on Miller's exit. A lot of people in Silicon Valley had been pointing to the culprit — his supposed "demons."
They are apparently pertaining to Miller's vices, including alcohol and other substances, which the actor casually admits in his comedy acts. Sources also revealed that due to these things, the actor sometimes goes to work under the influence if they are lucky, but if not, he does not go to work at all.
However, there were also instances when people notice Miller to be OK on the set, seemingly ahead of his game. While a lot of people lauded his comedic "genius" that comes au naturel, there had been a lot of head-scratching done regarding his behavior. Moreover, what prompted his departure, according to Judge, was the star's alleged disinterest toward work.
No Desire To Work
"There are a lot of different ways you can find out somebody doesn't want to do the show anymore," Judge stated.
He further narrated that Miller's unprofessionalism affected everyone on the set. Citing an unspecific instance, the star's commitment was questioned when he, as a main cast, did not show up for work, as contrast to the crew and extras who exert a lot of effort waking up early and who get lower salary as opposed to him, only to find out there won't be production during the day.
Production schedules would always have to be altered for the problematic actor, as when he arrives late, at least it could be expected that he read his script, but lo and behold, he hadn't touched the script. There were more horrendous off-cam stories for Miller, as witnessed by the crewmembers.
In between takes, Miller was found sleeping and had to be woken up by his coworkers. But these instances would not equal to his inconsistency in actually showing up in the set, which become unpredictable.
"He was explosive, and there were moments where you'd go, 'Whoa, that's not where I thought that was going at all, but that was fucking awesome' ... but it was a trade-off," an insider shared.
Despite offering Miller a comeback for Silicon Valley season 5 for a few episodes just for Erlich's proper closure, Judge said the actor refused the offer. The creator added, "It just wasn't working." However, in a phone call, the actor explained he was not high during filming because "it gets in the way of the comedy."
