During the 2000s, a number of different comedy films were able to make a name for themselves while being completely different from one another. The end of the 90s featured movies like American Pie, and during the 2000s, fans were treated to hilarious flicks like Step Brothers and She's the Man.
Released back in 2004, Dodgeball was able to become a huge hit during the 2000s, and people could not get enough of its hilarious scenes and quotable lines. A lot of work went into making the movie, including some legit dodgeball training, which got Ben Stiller into some hot water with his wife.
Let's take a look at Dodgeball and the incident in question.
'Dodgeball' Was A Major Success
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story was a film based on a child's game that many played during recess while growing up, and while that may sound like a film that was headed for disaster, the truth is that the hilarious script and talented cast helped make this one of the most memorable comedies of the 2000s.
Starring performers like Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and Christine Taylor, Dodgeball had just what comedy fans were looking for in 2004, and after making over $160 million at the box office, the film was officially a hit. Sure, there are certain elements of this film that have not aged too well, but that doesn't make it any less funny.
It's great to see that everything worked out for all involved with this project because making it was no easy feat. Turns out, the cast actually had to do some serious preparation to make the movie as believable as possible.
The Cast Had To Undergo Training For The Film
Most everyone plays dodgeball a time or four while growing up, but this doesn't mean that they are ready for the big leagues. To really look the part in the film, the cast needed to undergo some dodgeball training.
When talking about the training, Stiller said, "You know, the good thing is that nobody knows what it looks like to really play team dodgeball. So we went for, I went for, I think two times. But, like I said, it's much more exhausting than you think, so...And it's very competitive. Even when it's a stupid dodgeball movie, people are taking it very seriously. Even when we were playing in front of like five hundred people and we had the extras there, it was like nobody wanted to look bad."
Stiller's wife, Christine Taylor, had limited experience from her school days, but training was still tough.
"So we didn't play that much and I, you know when you're thirteen or twelve and you have a lot more energy a lot more cardiovascular endurance and I was winded and tired and you know, these games last five or six minutes and you're using muscles and it was hard, I'm just going to say it was hard," she said.
While the cast was preparing for dodgeball greatness, Stiller wound up making a few mistakes that caused some friction in his marriage.
Ben Stiller Beamed His Wife In The Face
According to Stiller, "I hit her in the face a couple times, which was not good. Not helpful. That actually affected our relationship for like a week. There's just no way not to get upset with somebody after you've done that. It just sent us both back to eighth grade."
Now, there are two sides to every story, and Christine Taylor was more than happy to give her account of what happened.
When giving her side of things, Taylor said, "I just remember seeing him winding up with this ball, across from me, we were both mid-court, winding up, winding up, he has this little stutter step, throwing the ball, and me in my mind, in my head, when I go back over it, I remember thinking, 'That's not gonna hit me, there's no way that's gonna, oh my god, I'm gonna get hit!' And he got me square on the cheek and the ear. When you get hit, the pain isn't as much as the shame. You are mortified."
It goes without saying that a film based on a sport that involves people chucking rubber balls at one another was going to lead to the cast getting bumps and bruises, but it's hilarious to think that Ben Stiller wound up cracking his wife with a dodgeball.
Fortunately, production did wrap at some point, and the film went on to become a huge hit that fans still love to this very day.