Ben Stiller learned while working on “Zoolander 2” that he did not like directing himself. He also said the experience as a whole marked a turning point in his career approach and forced him to ask himself some tough questions.
In a conversation with Seth Rogen and “Happy, Sad, Confused” host Josh Horowitz published Thursday, Stiller said both directing and starring in the 2016 sequel to his iconic comedy gave him “some clarity” on what he did not like doing. He also said it shifted his perspective in a lot of ways after the film was met with widespread criticism.
“It was just a point where I stepped back and thought, ‘Okay, why am I doing this? What’s important to me?’ Going through a failure doesn’t feel great, but it made me ask those questions,” Stiller said. “That gave me clarity. It wasn’t a fun time — there was a lot else going on in my life — but what I came out with was the realization that I only want to do things that matter to me, things that make me happy and that I’d actually want to watch. That’s really how I started making decisions after that, and for me it became a lot clearer.”
One of the main things Stiller realized was that he didn’t like watching footage of his takes in the editing room. Rogen then asked if Stiller liked directing himself and the “Severance” executive producer said not enjoying it stopped him from doing it ever again.
“I stopped doing it, and I haven’t done it since,” Stiller said. “And I’ve been very happy about that, because I like just being able to focus on one thing at a time. It’s so much more enjoyable that way for me.”
Stiller then explained he was grateful to behind the camera on his hit show “Severance.” “I’m constantly impressed by the craft of acting, especially watching the actors on ‘Severance.’ Seeing what they do makes me grateful I don’t have to be in front of the camera. It’s hard,” Stiller said. “I’m grateful to be an audience, to watch, encourage, maybe nudge them in one direction or another — and sometimes not do anything at all.”
Stiller has directed a number of episodes of the Apple TV+ hit “Severance” across both available seasons. Earlier this week, however, he admitted that he would not helm any episodes of the upcoming Season 3 so he could focus on another project.
“I’m at this point in my life where I’m like, ‘The clock is ticking,’” Stiller said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Monday. “Sixty sounds old. It’s hard to get around it. And of course, it’s that other thing of, like, you know what the next one is … ‘Oh, s—t.’”
Stiller said his current focus was to plan as much of “Severance” Season 3 as he could with creator and showrunner Dan Erickson for the remainder of the year. Then he is off to direct a war film that’s centered on an airman who is taken down and lands in occupied France, where he eventually gets involved with the French Resistance.
You can watch the full “Happy, Sad, Confused” live podcast interview in the video above.
