Ben Stiller Makes ‘No Apologies’ for ‘Tropic Thunder’ 15 Years Later: ‘It’s Always Been a Controversial Movie’
thewrap.comStiller tweeted. “Tropic Thunder” earned critical and audience acclaim when it was released for its biting, no-holds-barred mockery of all things Hollywood, from the fights between agents and studio executives to the lengths actors will go for a chance at an Oscar.
Stiller directed the film and stars in it as Tugg Speedman, a declining action star looking for a career rebound by starring in a Vietnam War movie.
But when Tugg travels to Vietnam to shoot on location, the production quickly goes south thanks to the uncontrollable egos of Speedman and his co-stars, including five-time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) who underwent lengthy surgery to resemble a Black man so he could take a role in the film.
In a last ditch effort to save the film, the director drops Tugg and co. in the middle of the jungle to shoot the film “guerrilla-style” with hidden cameras.
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