Ben Stiller, who starred in, wrote, and directed the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder, has made it clear over the years that he has no intention of apologizing for the film. The movie was controversial upon release, with critics pointing out offensive elements such as Stiller’s character mocking disabilities, Tom Cruise’s character embodying Jewish stereotypes, and Jack Black’s portrayal of a drug-addicted, overweight actor. Robert Downey Jr.’s use of blackface, which invoked Hollywood’s problematic racial history, drew particular criticism.
While these issues sparked debate even 15 years ago—when blackface was already widely regarded as unacceptable—the criticism has only intensified over time. Speaking to Collider, Stiller reflected on the film’s themes and expressed doubts about whether such a project could be made in today’s climate.
“In this environment, making an edgy comedy like that is obviously much harder,” Stiller said. “Economically, it wouldn’t even be feasible at that scale. I think we were lucky to make it when we did, and we owe that to Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks. He read the script and said, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ It was a very inside-Hollywood movie if you think about it.”
Robert Downey Jr. was notably nominated for an Oscar in 2009 for his role as Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor who undergoes surgery to “become” Black. The film itself acknowledges the controversy, with another character, Alpa Chino, directly calling Lazarus out for his actions.
“The idea of Robert playing a character who plays an African-American character was incredibly risky,” Stiller said in the interview. “It was risky even back then. We went through with it because I felt it was clear who the joke was targeting: actors who would go to extreme lengths for awards. But in today’s environment, I don’t even know if I’d dare to try it, to be honest.”
