Ben Stiller is uncertain that his 2008 satirical comedy “Tropic Thunder” may get made right this moment. The movie, which facilities on a gaggle of egotistical actors making a Vietnam Struggle film, grossed almost $200 million worldwide and picked up an Oscar nomination for supporting actor because of Robert Downey Jr. But it surely’s Downey’s character that might doubtless stop “Tropic Thunder” from getting off the bottom in 2024 Hollywood.

Downey starred in “Tropic Thunder” as Kirk Lazarus, an Australian thespian who takes Technique appearing to an unethical excessive by donning Blackface (or present process “pigmentation alteration” surgical procedure, as he places it) to play a Black soldier within the Vietnam film. Stiller was lampooning the insane lengths actors go to in an effort to win awards, nevertheless it’s too “dicey” to do once more.

“Clearly, on this atmosphere, edgier comedy is simply tougher to do,” Stiller informed Collider. “Undoubtedly not on the scale we made it at, too, by way of the economics of the enterprise. I believe even on the time we had been lucky to get it made, and I credit score that, truly, to Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks. He learn it and was like, ‘Alright, let’s make this factor.’ It’s a really inside film when you concentrate on it.”

“The thought of Robert taking part in that character who’s taking part in an African American character, I imply, extremely dicey,” Stiller continued. “Even on the time, after all, it was dicey too. The one motive we tried it was I felt just like the joke was very clear by way of who that joke was on — actors attempting to do something to win awards. However now, on this atmosphere, I don’t even know if I might have ventured to do it, to let you know the reality. I’m being trustworthy.”

Stiller wrote on his X profile final yr that he makes “no apologies” for “Tropic Thunder,” including: It’s all the time been a controversial film since after we opened. Happy with it and the work everybody did on it.”

Whereas some have criticized Downey lately for donning Blackface within the film, the actor himself has by no means agreed with the backlash. Throughout an look on Rob Lowe’s “Actually!” podcast earlier this yr, Downey drew a line between “Tropic Thunder” and Norman Lear’s iconic sitcom “All within the Household.” He stated each works shine a light-weight on “tropes that aren’t proper and had been perpetuated for too lengthy” and confronted criticism from those that weren’t seeing the larger image.

“There was an understanding with an viewers, and I’m not saying that the viewers is now not understanding — I’m saying that issues have gotten very muddied,” Downey stated. “The spirit that [Ben] Stiller directed and forged and shot ‘Tropic Thunder’ in was, basically, as a railing in opposition to all of those tropes that aren’t proper and [that] had been perpetuated for too lengthy.”

Throughout a 2020 episode of “The Joe Rogan Expertise” podcast, Downey Jr. recalled his mom being “horrified” when she realized of his function in “Tropic Thunder.” Whereas he was conscious of the potential backlash the function may generate, he nonetheless thought to himself: “I get to carry as much as nature the insane self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they suppose they’re allowed to do every so often.”

“[Ben Stiller] knew precisely what the imaginative and prescient for this was, he executed it, it was unimaginable to not have or not it’s an offensive nightmare of a film,” Downey Jr. added on the time. “And 90% of my Black associates had been like, ‘Dude, that was nice.’ I can’t disagree with [the other 10%], however I do know the place my coronary heart lies. I believe that it’s by no means an excuse to do one thing that’s misplaced and out of its time, however to me it blasted the cap on [the issue]. I believe having an ethical psychology is job one. Generally, you simply gotta go, ‘Yeah I effed up.’ In my protection, ‘Tropic Thunder’ is about how fallacious [Blackface] is, so I take exception.”

Along with his Oscar nomination, Downey competed for greatest supporting actor on the BAFTA Awards, Display screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globes.