Ben Stiller Isn’t Apologizing for His Controversial Role in ‘Tropic Thunder’

Ben Stiller is proud of his work in Tropic Thunder, despite the film’s past controversies of Robert Downey, Jr. in blackface, and its portrayal of people with disabilities.

In the film, which is satirical comedy, Robert Downey Jr. plays a method actor who undergoes a pigmentation alteration surgery to darken his skin so he can play a Black character in a war movie.

Blackface isn’t the only cringeworthy thing about the movie. Tropic Thunder was also criticized for its portrayal of disabled people. In the movie, Stiller plays actor Tugg Speedman, who portrays a character named Simple Jack in a film within Tropic Thunder.

A fan took to Twitter to tell Stiller to stop apologizing for his role in the film.

“I noticed on Twitter how liberals have been trying to ‘cancel culture’ the movie, Tropic Thunder…Now people like Ben Stiller are actually apologizing…for what????? it’s a classic movie…funny af!!!!

The user added: “it was and still is funny AF … Even funnier now with cancel culture the way it is. It’s a MOVIE. Ya’ll [sic] can just get over it. I was DYING laughing when I first saw it back in the day and so was everyone else,” the user wrote.

Stiller 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.”

@BenStiller Please stop apologizing for doing this movie. It was and still is funny AF… Even funnier now with cancel culture the way it is. It’s a MOVIE. Ya’ll can just get over it. I was DYING laughing when I first saw it back in the day and so was everyone else. pic.twitter.com/HEyR0ztQD4

— Benny S. (@BennySings) February 21, 2023

According to The New York Post, Robert 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.”

Downey was nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role.