Ben Stiller shared that the failure of his movie Zoolander 2 at the box office was a tough experience for him. He discussed this on an upcoming episode of David Duchovny’s podcast Fail Better. Stiller was surprised by the negative response since the first Zoolander movie had been quite popular and frequently quoted since its release in 2001.
Stiller recalled thinking that everyone was excited for the sequel, but when it did poorly and received bad reviews, he questioned his sense of humor and his ability to judge what was funny. This misstep made him rethink his career for quite some time.
Ben Stiller Says 'Zoolander 2' Flop Was 'Blindsiding' and 'Freaked Me Out' Because 'I Thought Everybody Wanted This': 'I Must've Really F—ed This Up' https://t.co/mtwBr62JJO
— Variety (@Variety) April 24, 2024
However, Stiller has found a positive side to this setback. It allowed him to shift his focus from just making movies for profit to taking on projects that are more fulfilling, like directing. He mentioned that if Zoolander 2 had been successful, he might have been pushed into making Zoolander 3 or another similar project right away. Instead, the failure gave him space to explore and develop other types of projects, particularly in drama, which he had always been interested in.
Stiller used this time to work on and develop different kinds of series, including the well-received Apple TV+ series Severance, where he directs and serves as an executive producer. The second season of Severance has recently finished production. More about Stiller’s thoughts and experiences can be found in his interview on the Fail Better podcast on People’s website. Source
