Ben Stiller’s long-time collaborator explains why the actor-producer-director has evolved away from doing comedies. Indeed, there has always been a strain of seriousness in his work, but with movies likeDodgeball,ZoolanderandTropic Thunderto his credit, it’s no surpriseStiller is primarily identified with comedy. In recent years, the one-timeSNLcast-member has begun mining that serious side more heavily, as evidenced by his acclaimed seriesSeverance, a show as likely to go for an emotional gut-punch as a wacky punchline.
Having worked with Stiller many times over the years, composer Theodore Shapirohas witnessed the filmmaker’s evolution, and has insight into why Stiller’s work has shifted to the dramatic, tellingScreenRantthat his collaborator has discovered new tones since the days ofTropic Thunder, which was all about constantly upping the manic energy, leaving no room for other shadings:
I think that Ben’s taste has definitely just evolved over time. If you look at Tropic Thunder, there’s just so much energy all of the time. So much of the impetus of the music was constantly ratcheting up, constantly building, and that was absolutely the right thing for that movie. But it was very, very driving, and clearly Ben has found in his filmmaking a different tone and just a lot more space, a lot more openness. I find, as a viewer, that’s really thrilling.
What This Means For Stiller
He’s Not Leaving Comedy Entirely Behind
Stiller’s evolution has not only seen him infusing more drama and mystery into his work, it’s also meant his near-complete disappearance from the acting scene. After starring in 2017’s acclaimedThe Meyerowitz Stories, the actor retreated into doing only small roles, some just cameos, while continuing to produce. Last year, he did make his lead acting return in the comedyNutcrackers, for director David Gordon Green, and 2025 sees him starring inThe Dinkandappearing inHappy Gilmore 2.
Stiller has been very active in TV, producing series likeEscape at DannemoraandIn the Dark, in addition toSeverance
Stiller has recently admitted that toiling away onSeverancetakes up a lot of his time, but he does have other projects in the works, including one about the 1986 Tour de France, as well as a documentary about his famous parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Neither of those sound like a return to comedy,so it seems the filmmaker’s evolution will continue trending away from the zaniness ofZoolanderandTropic Thunder.
Our Take On Stiller’s Evolution
The Seeds Were Planted Early On
Stiller’s desire to explore material beyond the realm of over-the-top zaniness may be bad news for those cravingTropic Thunder 2andZoolander 3, but it should come as no surprise to those who noted the dark comedy working its way into the actor-director’s filmography early on with movies like his directorial creditThe Cable Guy, and acting-only works likeFlirting With DisasterandYour Friends & Neighbors.
Severancecan be seen as Stiller’s darkly comedic side coming to full fruition, given how deftly the show toggles between bleakly dystopian drama and surreally bizarre humor. Had Stiller not been willing to explore these other tones, he could have gone on forever makingZoolander-type films, and been successful at it. But then the world would’ve never found out how great a waffle party can be, or learned phrases like “devour feculence.”
Stiller’s evolution from funny-man to the man behindSeverancewas probably inevitable, and perhaps the only surprise is that it took so long to fully play out. That he’s still willing to do a silly cameo in an Adam Sandler movie shows he hasn’t abandoned comedy altogether,but his focus as a filmmaker seems to be on more challenging and emotionally complex projects.
