Ben Stiller has admitted that he isn't sure if his film "Tropic Thunder" would be made in today's climate, saying that even when it was made in 2008 it "was dicey."
"Tropic Thunder," written, directed by, and starring Stiller, is a satirical action comedy about a group of actors shooting a Vietnam War movie who must rely on their acting skills to survive real-life danger. The star-studded cast includes Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise, and others, with the film parodying war movies, method acting, and Hollywood itself.
In an interview with Collider, Stiller said that he doubted "edgier comedy" like "Tropic Thunder" was well suited to the current environment. The topic came about when asked whether he thought the film could be made in 2024.
"I doubt it. Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do. Definitely not at the scale we made it at, too, in terms of the economics of the business," he said.
"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 referenced Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor and five-time Oscar winner, who undergoes a controversial "pigmentation alteration" surgery to portray a black soldier in the film.
"But yeah, 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," he said. "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."