Ben Stiller doubts if 'Tropic Thunder' would be made today, says 'edgier comedy' is 'harder' to do

Ben Stiller isn't definite helium would person "ventured" to marque "Tropic Thunder" successful today's drama environment.

"I uncertainty it," Stiller told Collider, erstwhile asked if "Tropic Thunder" could beryllium made today.

"Obviously, successful this environment, edgier drama is conscionable harder to do," the histrion explained. "Definitely not astatine the standard we made it at, too, successful presumption of the economics of the business. I deliberation adjacent astatine the clip we were fortunate to get it made, and I recognition that, actually, to Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks. He work it and was like, 'Alright, let's marque this thing.' It's a precise wrong movie erstwhile you deliberation astir it."

BEN STILLER SAYS HE NEVER APOLOGIZED FOR ‘TROPIC THUNDER’: I'M ‘PROUD OF IT’

Ben Stiller isn't definite "Tropic Thunder" would person been made today. (Fotonoticias/WireImage)

The 58-year-old movie prima pointed to Robert Downey Jr.'s now-controversial relation successful the movie. In "Tropic Thunder," Downey Jr. undergoes "pigmentation alteration" country successful bid to play a Black worker successful a film.

"But yeah, the thought of Robert playing that quality who's playing an African American character, I mean, incredibly dicey," Stiller said successful the caller interview. "Even astatine the time, of course, it was dicey too. The lone crushed we attempted it was I felt similar the gag was precise wide successful presumption of who that gag was connected – actors trying to bash thing to triumph awards. But now, successful this environment, I don't adjacent cognize if I would person ventured to bash it, to archer you the truth. I'm being honest."

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Robert Downey Jr. has defended his relation successful the 2008 movie "Tropic Thunder." (Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Downey has antecedently defended his "Tropic Thunder" role.

"I was looking backmost at ‘All successful the Family,’ and they had a small disclaimer that they were moving astatine the opening of the show," Downey said during a 2023 occurrence of Rob Lowe's "Literally!" podcast. "People should look it up, precisely what it is, due to the fact that it is an antidote to this clickbait addiction to grievance that [people seem] to person with everything these days."

"The connection was saying, ‘Hey, this is the crushed that we’re doing these things that, successful a vacuum, you could prime isolated and accidental are incorrect and bad,’" Downey continued. "There utilized to beryllium an knowing with an audience, and I’m not saying that the assemblage is nary longer knowing – I’m saying that things person gotten precise muddied. The tone that [Ben] Stiller directed and formed and changeable ‘Tropic Thunder’ successful was, essentially, arsenic a railing against each of these tropes that are not close and [that] had been perpetuated for excessively long."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Actors Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. get to the reddish carpet of the "Tropic Thunder" premiere connected Aug. 11, 2008. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Downey earned an Academy Award information for champion supporting histrion with "Tropic Thunder." He was besides nominated for a Golden Globe alongside his co-star Tom Cruise.

Stiller insisted he's ne'er apologized for "Tropic Thunder" successful a 2023 societal media post.

"I marque nary apologies for Tropic Thunder. Don’t cognize who told you that. It’s ever been a arguable movie since erstwhile we opened. Proud of it and the enactment everyone did connected it," Stiller wrote online.

The histrion has maintained the movie was made to marque amusive of actors who spell to large lengths to get nominated for awards.

Ben Stiller has ne'er apologized for "Tropic Thunder" contempt the controversy. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP