Miles Teller underwent years of laser therapy after car crash

Whiplash star Miles Teller is lucky to be alive after a car crash in his early 20s.

Now 29, the actor reveals he underwent painful laser treatment for years to make a full recovery from the accident.

"I got lucky," Miles tells MrPorter.com. "The EMT (emergency medical technician) told me 99.9 per cent of people in these cases would be dead or paralyzed.

"Recovery was slow. For years, I had to have steroid injections and laser surgery, the kind they use for tattoo removal. Very painful."

Teller stuck to his recovery regimen with the same tenacity he approaches his work as an actor, and he admits he's deadly serious about his craft.

Miles wants to emulate the careers of the movie greats, like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino.

He adds, "De Niro, Pacino, (Sean) Penn, (Jeff) Bridges, Hoffmans: Dustin and Phil, if I go where those guys are at... I don't want to feel embarrassed by my resume."

Miles has had one big flop - 2015's Fantastic Four - but he admits he would return to the comic book movie franchise for a sequel if it was offered to him.

"I loved the cast, I loved the characters," the actor, who played Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in the blockbuster, told JoBlo.com. "I think it's such an interesting dynamic. I love how much they really need to rely on each other... So, yeah, absolutely, I would do another one."