Viewers have missed the slapstick comedy of Ben Stiller after he almost disappeared from the screens. The actor, in the recent past, has made mere small appearances in movies like 2021’s ‘Locked Away’, as he ventured into the directing business.
However, he has returned to act in David Gordon Green’s film, ‘Nutcrackers’. Ben revealed the reason for his prolonged absence from acting and what led to his decision to return. Here’s what he said.
Ben Stiller Reveals He “Couldn’t Have Done” ‘Nutcracker’ If The Offer Came Few Months Later
In the past few years, Ben Stiller has been trying his hand at directing films rather than starring in them. His 2022 sci-fi series ‘Severance‘ and 2018 ‘Escape At Dannemora’ received several accolades. Stiller was in the process of creating the second season of ‘Severance’. However, with the actors and writers’ strike in 2023, the series’ filming was postponed.
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Talking about the same to Variety, Stiller said, “This movie happened in a zone where it was literally the only time I could have made it…A few months later, and I couldn’t have done it.” The actor stated, “I never thought I’d take this much time away from acting. It wasn’t intentional; it was just how things evolved.”
‘Nutcracker’ revolves around Mike, a workaholic real estate developer, who has taken custody of his orphaned nephews. The comedy will focus on how Mike will adjust to his new indisciplined wards and the intense rural setting. It was produced and financed outside the studio system, and therefore received a waiver from the studio union for filming.
David Gordon Green Jokes That “There’s Every Imaginable Animal” In ‘Nutcracker’
‘Nutcracker’ was filmed on the farms of the Janson family in Ohio. Homer, Ulysses, Arlo, and Atlas Janson debut as Stiller’s orphaned nephews in the movie.
Speaking about the film, Green stated to Variety, “When I called Ben, I said, ‘I hope you don’t have any allergies because there’s every imaginable animal running around here…And bring old shoes, because you’re going to be stepping in shit.”
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Stiller was also excited to work on the old McDonald’s farm. He said, “They [Janson’s family] have this house, where they leave the doors open and chickens and critters are running inside.”
The film will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival where it will seek distribution rights on September 5.
