In 2008, Ben Stiller saw the release of his film Tropic Thunder, which he co-wrote, directed, and starred in. Now, sixteen years later, Stiller doesn’t believe the film could get made today. In fact, he adds that “edgier comedy is just harder to do” in general today.
Stiller made these comments regarding his controversial satirical comedy while speaking with Collider. In fact, he reveals that it was difficult to see the film made even in 2008, but that Steven Spielberg helped the script get picked up.
Here’s what he shared on that front:
“Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do,” Stiller begins. “Definitely not at the scale we made it at, too, in terms of the economics of the business. 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.”
He also adds that it was “incredibly dicey” to have Robert Downey Jr. play an African American in the film. Similarly, he says it was already something controversial in 2008:
“The idea of Robert playing that character who’s playing an African American character, I mean, incredibly dicey,” Stiller continued. “Even at the time, of course, it was dicey too. The only reason we attempted it was I felt like the joke was very clear in terms of who that joke was on — actors trying to do anything to win awards. But 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 any case, the Ben Stiller film Tropic Thunder has become a topic of discussion in today’s world, provoking many conversations about how far is too far when it comes to filmmaking. Times certainly have changed, both when the film was originally being made and within the world that’s receiving it today.