Ben Stiller has made his career out of being zany and a little bit crazy. Luckily for the prolific actor, it's worked out well for him. Even characters like Zoolander have earned quite the following, and Stiller is also widely recognized in meme form thanks to 'Meet the Parents.'
But there's one film that seemed to come out of nowhere: 'Tropic Thunder.' Even for Stiller, it was a bit edgy and intense. For one thing, the budget was massive -- and so was production.
The question is, how did Ben Stiller -- who wrote the screenplay with two other contributors -- get inspired to create a "satirical action comedy film" on the island of Kaua'i?
Ben Stiller Drew Inspiration From An '80s Film
Co-writers Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen helped Stiller put together the parody film, and an ensemble cast really helped them pull it off. But as it turns out, Ben actually came up with the film's concept decades earlier.
The primary inspiration for his movie was a film from 1987. Though Stiller acknowledged that the movie was basically a parody of an amalgamation of Vietnam War (and other war) films, he was first inspired to write the screenplay while hanging around the set of 'Empire of the Sun.'
That Steven Spielberg movie gave Ben a bright idea. Though his was only a bit role, he once explained in an interview that his friends -- other actors -- were being sent off to "fake boot camp" to get into character before filming for other similar projects.
His role didn't require that (so he didn't have much to say about Steven Spielberg's style on that front), but Ben paid attention.
In short, Stiller explained, "all actors were going away to fake boot camp and talking about these incredible experiences that they had and how it really changed their lives." He found it amusing, he elaborated, because people who actually went to war (or, even, actual boot camp) would have far more transformative experiences.
It Took Ben Stiller Over A Decade To Write 'Tropic Thunder'
From that initial idea, it took Ben ten years and some collaboration with his screenplay-penning pals to even get the ideas on paper. Then came even more tweaking of the story, then the casting -- which was the fun part for Ben.
Ultimately, the film was a success -- partly because Ben Stiller took it so seriously. The cast even came up with a mockumentary to accompany the film, and even faux websites and other supporting elements (like the fake energy drink from the film) to make the entire experience even cheesier and more immersive for viewers.
That's more than enough reason for movie snobs to hate Ben Stiller, right? But viewers liked the movie, and Ben clearly had a great time putting the movie together and directing and acting in it.