‘Even at the time it was dicey’
Ben Stiller has said Robert Downey Jr’s role in Tropic Thunder is “incredibly dicey.”
The satirical action comedy, which follows a group of fictional actors deserted in the jungle during filming for a Vietnam war film, was a commercial and critical hit on its release in 2008.
However, it stoked controversy over its portrayal of disabled people and minority groups, with Downey Jr appearing in Blackface for the film.
In Tropic Thunder, the Iron Man star plays pretentious Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus.
So Downey Jr is playing the role of an actor who is playing a role in a movie.
Lazarus undergoes “pigmentation alteration” for his role as a Black soldier, something that is acknowledged as controversial and called out by several other characters, such as Alpa Chino (Brandon T Jackson) who slates Lazarus during several scenes where the actors stop to argue about their characters.
However, the fact that he wore Blackface for the role still caused controversy.
Speaking to Collider, Stiller admitted that Downey Jr’s role was “dicey” even back in 2008.
Stiller told the publication: “The idea of Robert Downey Jr. playing that character who’s playing an African American character, I mean, incredibly dicey. Even at the time, of course, it was dicey too.
He explained that the idea behind the character of Lazarus was to mock the extent some actors will go to to win awards. Ironically, Downey Jr did almost win an award for his performance, picking up an Oscar nomination for supporting actor.
Stiller explained: “The only reason we attempted it was I felt like the joke was very clear in terms of who that joke was on — actors trying to do anything to win awards. But now, in this environment, I don’t even know if I would have ventured to do it, to tell you the truth. I’m being honest.”
Speaking about Tropic Thunder in general as a project, Stiller said he ‘doubts’ Tropic Thunder would be able to be made today, because “edgier comedy is just harder to do.”
Downey Jr has previously spoken about the controversial role, saying he doesn’t regret the part and that “90 per cent” of his Black friends told him his performance was “great.”
