Ben Stiller has addressed one of the most debated films of his career.
Throughout his extensive career, Stiller has been a part of many popular movies, including personal favorites like Night at the Museum, Meet the Fockers, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
However, one of his films, described as ‘dicey’ by Stiller himself, might not have been as well-received if released today.
The film in question is 2008’s Tropic Thunder, which, despite its controversial themes, maintains an 82 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the comedy, Robert Downey Jr. appears alongside Stiller, portraying the character Kirk Lazarus in blackface.
Last year, Downey Jr. defended Tropic Thunder.
Stiller, who has previously commented on the film, recently told Collider that movies in this genre are now ‘harder to do’.
When questioned about the possibility of making Tropic Thunder today, Stiller answered: “I doubt it. Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do. Definitely not at the scale we made it at, too, in terms of the economics of the business.”
He added, “I think even at the time we were fortunate to get it made, and I credit that, actually, to Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks.”
“He read it and was like, ‘Alright, let’s make this thing.’ It’s a very inside movie when you think about it. But yeah, the idea of Robert playing that character who’s playing an African American character, I mean, incredibly dicey. Even at the time, of course, it was dicey too.”
Explaining the rationale behind taking the risk to create the film, the 58-year-old pointed out that those involved with Tropic Thunder ‘felt like the joke was very clear in terms of who that joke was on’ – aimed at actors willing to do anything for awards.
Stiller concluded: “Now, in this environment, I don’t even know if I would have ventured to do it, to tell you the truth. I’m being honest.”
In a different part of his dialogue with Collider, Stiller talked about bringing back his Happy Gilmore character, Hal L, for the upcoming sequel.
The sequel to the beloved movie was announced in March.
“I’m always ready to play Hal L,” said Stiller.
“You don’t get the opportunity to play Hal L that often.”
Happy Gilmore 2 is anticipated to be released sometime next year.