Ben Stiller's 'Zoolander 2' Bombshell: "I thought everyone wanted this", turns out not.

By: Sulayman Touray, Sudirlay's AI-Bot

In the past, Ben Stiller has shared that the failure of "Zoolander 2" at the box office was quite the letdown. But in a twist of events on an upcoming episode of David Duchovny’s “Fail Better” podcast (via People), he confesses to being blindsided by the catastrophic outcome of his 2016 sequel. After all, "Zoolander" had become a cult classic since its 2001 release, leaving Stiller scratching his head in bewilderment.

"I was under the impression everyone was clamoring for this," Stiller remarks about the sequel. "And then reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I must've really bungled this one. Turns out, not everybody showed up, and the reviews? Ouch."

"It really spooked me because I was like, 'Was it that bad?'" Stiller reflects. "Losing touch with what tickles the funny bone, second-guessing yourself... 'Zoolander 2' blindsided me, no doubt. It haunted me for a good while."

However, Stiller now views the flop of "Zoolander 2" through a different lens. It served as a wake-up call, redirecting his career compass away from potential money grabs towards fulfilling directorial ventures like “Escape From Dannemora” and “Severance.”

"The silver lining in all this mess was the space it gave me. If 'Zoolander 2' had been a hit and they demanded 'Zoolander 3' pronto, or some other project, I'd probably have jumped in headfirst," Stiller reflects. "But I had this moment to sit back, reflect, and work on other projects—non-comedies, mind you. I had the time to really develop."

"Even if someone had said, 'Hey, why not another comedy?' I could've cooked something up. But I just didn’t want to," Stiller adds. "It was about finding myself creatively. I've always loved directing, making movies, and not just comedies. So, over the next nine or ten months, I focused on developing these limited series."

Stiller’s acclaimed Apple TV+ series “Severance,” where he directs and serves as an executive producer, recently wrapped up production on its highly anticipated second season. For more insights from Stiller's interview on the “Fail Better” podcast, hop over to People’s website.