Ben Stiller decides to look on the bright side of Zoolander 2 being a box office flop
To think, we could have had Zoolander 3 instead of Escape At Dannemora or Severance
When it comes to Zoolander 2's reception and abysmal ticket sales, Ben Stiller still describes it as “not a great experience.” However, in a new interview with Esquire, the star now seems at peace with the film flopping spectacularly at the box office, as it opened more gratifying doors.
“If Zoolander 2 had been a huge hit, and then people were saying ‘Zoolander 3! Do this movie! That movie!’—that might have taken me off the road of having the space to work on developing Dannemora,” Stiller says, referring to his Showtime series Escape At Dannemora.
Despite a successful prerequisite film, and a cast that included Stiller, Penélope Cruz, Owen Wilson, Kirsten Wiig, and Will Ferrell, 2016's Zoolander 2 only earned $29 million in the States (after a $56 million budget) and was lambasted by critics.
Stiller also says that with the failure of Zoolander 2, he ended the directorial tradition of stepping on a glass bottle for good luck because, before filming commenced, a shard of glass went through the sole of his shoe and into his foot. However, the writer, producer, director and actor has since decided to cherish that sharp, shattered glass.
“I might have gotten distracted by other bright shiny objects, but instead it opened a path where I could just do what I’d honestly wanted to do for years and years, which was: just direct something!” Stiller explains. “To say, I’m just going to work on this project that I want to work on, because it takes a little time to get these things going, and if you don’t stick with it you don’t get there.”
Two years after the release of Zoolander No. 2, Escape At Dannemora would air, earning twelve Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding Limited Series. The series, which stars Benicio del Toro, Patricia Arquette, and Paul Dano, follows one federal prison employee as she helps two inmates she’s become romantically involved with escape.
Right now, Apple TV+ is airing Stiller’s latest series, the workplace drama Severance starring Adam Scott. It’s his first project since 2018's Dannemora, and has received buzzed as one of the first must-see shows of the year.
“People do ask me, ‘Why were you drawn to this? You’re not a guy who does these kinds of things,’” Stiller says about people’s reactions to his dramatic productions. “I get asked that about Severance, I heard it a lot about Dannemora. ‘You’re funny. Be funny.’ I get it. But I don’t analyze it. In my mind, it made total sense.”