Ben Stiller Defends ‘Zoolander 2’: ‘Hard to Believe It Was That Bad’ After Critic Backlash

Despite ‘Zoolander 2′ negative reviews, Ben Stiller has defended the film. The 59-year-old actor discussed the negative reviews the 2016 action-comedy sequel garnered during an interview on ‘Hot Ones’. Stiller said that it’s always hard to foresee critical reactions because everyone’s opinions on movies are so subjective when host Sean Evans asked him which of his films might have been misinterpreted or harshly assessed by reviewers.

Speaking specifically about ‘Zoolander 2’, which has a dismal 22% critic score and an even worse audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Stiller said he was shocked by the overwhelmingly bad reviews. He admitted that he could have miscalculated, but he found it difficult to accept that the movie was as badly received as the reviews indicated.

Image Courtesy: People

Speaking on David Duchovny’s ‘Fail Better’ podcast about the movie’s premiere earlier this year, Stiller said he sincerely thought that people were excited for a follow-up to the 2001 cult classic, which had been a box office success. But he began to doubt his comedic instincts after the film’s box office disaster and the harsh reviews. He was uncertain about his sense of humour and inventiveness after the disturbing encounter. Given its $50 million budget, ‘Zoolander 2’ only made $29 million domestically, underscoring its difficulties.

The film’s writer, director, producer, and actor, Stiller, acknowledged that the criticism had a lasting impact on him and caused him to doubt his capacity to engage viewers. The Emmy winner’s career is still thriving in spite of the setback.

He most recently starred as a disciplined, work-focused man who has to take care of his four naughty nephews in the Christmas comedy ‘Nutcrackers’. Stiller will also return to his role as the cunning nursing home attendant, Hal L., in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’, starring alongside Adam Sandler.

–Farheen Ali