Ezra Miller, star of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and We Need to Talk About Kevin, publicly defined his sexuality as "queer" in 2012. But the 25-year-old actor has recently spoken of the backlash he faced both before and after explaining that he wasn't straight.

Speaking to Shortlist magazine, Miller said that he was warned not to share details of his sexuality – he has had romantic relationships with both men and women, and doesn't identify as heterosexual – because it could hamper his chances of landing a leading film role. The fact that he plays a superhero, The Flash, in blockbuster Justice League, has proved otherwise – and made him the first queer actor to play such a character.

"I was told by a lot of people I’d made a mistake," Miller told Shortlist. "Folks in the industry, folks outside the industry. People I’ve never spoken to. They said there’s a reason so many gay, queer, gender-fluid people in Hollywood conceal their sexual identity, or their gender identity in their public image. I was told I had done a ‘silly’ thing in… thwarting my own potential to be a leading man."

He added: "I was given a lot of stern talking-tos."

Miller went on to explain that he is unusual in being open about his sexuality in the film industry: "I know a lot of people who are in the closet.

"It would be a good idea to re-examine how this is working for us. These ideas. These values. Is it really working for us? Honestly?"

Miller will return to the role of The Flash in a standalone film, Flashpoint, set for release in 2020.