Ben Stiller, who co-wrote, directed, and starred in Tropic Thunder, doesn’t think the 2009 satirical action comedy film would get made in today’s Hollywood.
“Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do,” Stiller told Collider. “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.”
Stiller continued: “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. 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.”
Do you agree with Stiller? Would modern audiences not understand who and what Tropic Thunder was making fun of? Also, Tropic Thunder 2 when, Stiller?
