Off The Record
Ben Stiller Claims He Is Proud Of The Film “Tropic Thunder” And Will Not Aplogize For It
Ben Stiller is proud of the action-comedy “Tropic Thunder” and has remained steadfast in his support of it in spite of its controversy.
The 2008 film centers on a group of actors who unintentionally wind up in the middle of a real-life fight while filming a war movie.
After receiving positive reviews, it shot to fame at the box office, earning almost $195 million on a reported $92 million budget.
Nevertheless, the movie has encountered a great deal of criticism over time. Star-studded cast members of “Tropic Thunder” include Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Brandon T. Jackson.
A major source of disagreement is Downey Jr.’s character, Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor who darkens his skin to represent Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris, a Black figure, through the contentious procedure known as “pigmentation alteration.”
Blackface, as defined by the BBC, is the practice of someone, usually of white skin, painting their face darker to resemble a Black person. This practice has historically been used to make fun of Black people for the amusement of White audiences. This is a profoundly disrespectful and erroneous practice.
A number of disability advocacy organizations, such as the Special Olympics, also boycotted the film because it used a disparaging phrase to refer to individuals with intellectual disabilities. The actor Stiller plays, “Simple Jack,” is a figure that adds gasoline to the debate.
Many have boycotted the film due to these offensive elements. Discussing it on social media, one person remarked: “It’s extremely offensive… just shows we have a long way to go,” while another added, “I’m too uncomfortable to enjoy any of it.”
“Tropic Thunder” director and co-writer Stiller has defended the movie and voiced his pride in it. In response to a fan who urged him to never apologize for his role, he addressed the matter on X, the previous Twitter platform.
Stiller stated: “I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it.”
In 2018, he also acknowledged the backlash with a tweet: “Actually Tropic Thunder was boycotted 10 years ago when it came out, and I apologized then. It was always meant to make fun of actors trying to do anything to win awards. I stand by my apology, the movie… And the great people and work of the @SpecialOlympics.”
Robert Downey Jr., who received an Oscar nomination for his role, had initial reservations about the character. On “The Joe Rogan Experience” in 2020, he recalled thinking, “I thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that. I’ll do that after Iron Man.’ And then I started thinking, ‘This is a terrible idea.’”
He did, however, ultimately come to like the position, saying of it: “I get to hold up to nature the insane self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they think they’re allowed to do on occasion.”
Downey Jr. also praised Stiller’s vision, saying: “Ben, who is a masterful artist and director… knew exactly what the vision for this was, he executed it, it was impossible to not have it be an offensive nightmare of a movie. And 90% of my Black friends were like, ‘Dude, that was great.’”
Both Stiller and Downey Jr. express pride in “Tropic Thunder” despite the controversy surrounding it, emphasizing its satirical view of Hollywood and the extent to which to which actors would go to in order to pursue their careers.
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