Ben Stiller stands firm in his support for “Tropic Thunder,” expressing pride in the action-comedy despite its controversies.
The film, released in 2008, follows a group of actors filming a war movie who inadvertently find themselves in an actual conflict.
It was well-received and became a box-office hit, grossing approximately $195 million against a reported budget of $92 million.
However, the film has faced significant backlash over the years. “Tropic Thunder” features a star-studded cast, including Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Jay Baruchel, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Brandon T. Jackson.
One of the main points of contention is Downey Jr.’s character, Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor who undergoes a controversial ‘pigmentation alteration’ surgery to darken his skin and portray the Black character, Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris.
As the BBC explains, blackface refers to when someone, typically with white skin, paints their face darker to resemble a Black person, historically used to mock Black people for the entertainment of white audiences. This practice is both inaccurate and deeply offensive.
Additionally, the movie was boycotted by several disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics, for its use of a derogatory term for people with intellectual disabilities. Stiller’s character, an actor who portrays a character named “Simple Jack,” further fueled the controversy.
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.”
Stiller, who directed and co-wrote “Tropic Thunder,” has defended the film and expressed his pride in it. Addressing the controversy on X (formerly Twitter), he responded to a fan urging him never to apologize for his involvement.
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.’”
However, he eventually embraced the role, explaining: “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.’”
Despite the controversies, both Stiller and Downey Jr. remain proud of “Tropic Thunder,” highlighting its satirical take on Hollywood and the lengths actors will go for their craft.
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