Ben Stiller is known for more serious pursuits these days, but that doesn’t mean he can’t find time to have a little fun. After helping “Severance” become one of TV’s most acclaimed shows with his directing skills, Stiller took a moment to surprise fans of one of his classic comedies from the early 2000s.
The veteran actor showed up at a screening of the original “Zoolander” film on Saturday night in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
“Hi. Thank you all for coming,” Stiller said, briefly reprising his role as oblivious male model Derek Zoolander from the film franchise.
Ben Stiller makes a surprise appearance at the #Cinespia Screening for #Zoolander at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery pic.twitter.com/PQL27s5JOU
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 17, 2025
“I’d like to thank all of the People at Cinespia for having the courage to have the first-ever nine year anniversary screening of Zoolander 2! What? Zoolander 1? Okay, cool,” he said, prompting laughter from the crowd over the self-deprecating joke.
“Well, I hope you really enjoy it, and don’t get freaked out by all those creepy gross dead people underneath you. And just relax and have a good time.”
In a fun “Severance”-related twist to the evening, star Trammel Tillman led the USC marching band in performance, referencing his iconic scene from the season two finale as Mr. Milchick.
When Did Stiller First Portray the Character?
“Zoolander” marked Stiller’s third directorial effort, following 1994’s “Reality Bites” and 1996’s “The Cable Guy,” starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick. The actor starred in the film alongside several comedy all-stars, like Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell. The movie also features Christine Taylor, Stiller’s real-life wife.
The first film in the franchise was received positively by fans and critics alike, and became one of the defining roles of Stiller’s career. “Zoolander 2,” released in 2016 with much of the same cast, was seen as a relative box-office flop and failure.
“It’s hard to think it was that bad, that people didn’t like it that much. But maybe I’m wrong,” Stiller said on “Hot Ones” back in December, reflecting on some of the film’s he’s been a part of during his career.
“It really freaked me out because I was like, ‘I didn’t know was that bad?,” he said.
“What scared me the most on that one was l’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.”
It seems that time does heal all wounds – and maybe a little bit of Blue Steel too.
