Ben Stiller says he’s still “proud” of ‘Tropic Thunder’ despite blackface controversy

Ben Stiller has said he’s still “proud” of Tropic Thunder despite the film’s past controversies.

In the 2008 satirical action comedy, Robert Downey Jr. plays Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus who undergoes “pigmentation alteration” surgery to darken his skin to play a black character in a war movie. For the role, Downey Jr. was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.

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Along with the use of blackface, Tropic Thunder attracted criticism for its depiction of disabled characters. In the film, Stiller’s character Tugg Speedman plays a character called Simple Jack in a film within Tropic Thunder, which is supposed to be a satire of actors who chase acclaim by playing disabled roles.

In response to a fan calling for Stiller to “stop apologising” for the film on Twitter, the actor replied: “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.”

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.

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) February 21, 2023

Downey Jr. addressed the controversial character during an interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in 2020, where he argued the role is about “how wrong [blackface] is”.

“[Ben] 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,” Downey Jr. said. “And 90 per cent of my black friends were like, ‘Dude, that was great.’ I can’t disagree with [the other 10 per cent], but I know where my heart lies. I think that it’s never an excuse to do something that’s out of place and out of its time, but to me it blasted the cap on [the issue].

“I think having a moral psychology is job one. Sometimes, you just gotta go, ‘Yeah I effed up.’ In my defense, Tropic Thunder is about how wrong [blackface] is, so I take exception.”

Stiller is currently developing the second season of Apple TV+ series Severance, which was renewed in April last year. A release date has yet to be announced.

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