Ben Stiller acknowledges that his failure in 'Zoolander 2' sent him spiraling into self-doubt.

(Courtesy: from The News International, Credit: by WebDesk, Dated: 23 April 2024)

 

Ben Stiller acknowledges that his failure in 'Zoolander 2' sent him spiraling into self-doubt.

Written by Muhammad Nadeem Khan

Ben Stiller Opens Up About Coping with Failure After Zoolander 2 Flop

#NewsReport (from the WebDesk and the other news sources)

Ben Stiller's 2001 comedy-thriller Zoolander continues to hold its status as a cult classic, cherished by fans worldwide. 

However, the sequel, released in 2016, faced a different fate, proving to be a massive box office failure.

After grappling with the aftermath of this setback, Stiller, now 58, recently opened up about the toll it took on his mental well-being, admitting that he spiraled into self-doubt.

In an upcoming episode of the Fail Better podcast, as reported by People Magazine, Stiller shared his reflections on the experience. "I thought everybody wanted this," he remarked. "And then it’s like, ‘Wow, I must have really f***ed this up. Everybody didn’t go to it. And it's gotten these horrible reviews."

The actor-director expressed his surprise at the extent of the disappointment surrounding the film. "It really freaked me out because I was like, ‘I didn’t know it was that bad?" he confessed. "What scared me the most on that one was I’m losing what I think what’s funny, the questioning yourself… on Zoolander 2, it was definitely blindsiding to me. And it definitely affected me for a long time."

Despite the challenges he faced, Stiller found a silver lining in the failure of Zoolander 2. 

It afforded him the opportunity to step back, reassess, and explore other projects that were meaningful to him. "I had this space to kind of sit with myself and have to deal with it and other projects that I had been working on – not comedies, some of them – I have the time to actually just work on and develop," he explained.

Subsequently, Stiller delved into projects like the crime drama Escape at Dannemora and the series Severance, both of which garnered him Emmy nominations. 

This shift in focus allowed him to reaffirm his passion for directing and find fulfillment in new creative endeavors.