Tropic Thunder, released in 2008, follows a troop of actors shooting a war film when they suddenly find themselves caught up in real conflict.
Following its release, the movie was generally well-received and was a box-office success, grossing an estimated $195 million against a reported budget of $92 million.
Despite its success, it hasn’t gone without its controversies…
Tropic Thunder features an all-star cast, starring Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Tom Cruise, Jay Baruchel, Nick Holte, Steve Coogan, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Brandon T. Jackson, among others.
One of the movie’s main criticisms is that it shows Downey Jr. donning blackface.
In the action-comedy, the star plays Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor who undergoes a controversial ‘pigmentation alteration’ surgery to temporarily darken his skin for portraying the Black character Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris.
As explained by the BBC, blackface ‘commonly refers to when someone (typically with white skin) paints their face darker to resemble a Black person.’
The historical practice involves Black people being mocked for the entertainment of white people, with depictions being both inaccurate and deeply offensive.
The movie was also boycotted by multiple disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics, per USA Today, for its use of a word used to belittle people with an intellectual disability.
There are also scenes in which Stiller plays an actor who takes on the role of a character named ‘Simple Jack.’
Many people have boycotted the film due to these aspects.
Discussing it on X (formerly Twitter), one person says: “It’s extremely offensive… just shows we have a long way to go.”
Another adds: “I’m too uncomfortable to enjoy any of it.”
Stiller, who directed and co-wrote the film, has defended Tropic Thunder and says he’s ‘proud’ of it.
The actor addressed the movie’s controversy when one fan pleaded with him to never apologize for his involvement.
In response, Stiller said: “I make no apologies for Tropic Thunder. Don’t know who told you that.
“It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it.”
He also addressed its backlash in 2018, with a tweet reading: “Actually Tropic Thunder was boycotted 10 years ago when it came out, and I apologized then.
“It was always meant to make fun of actors trying to do anything to win awards. I stand by my apology, the movie… And the great people and work of the @SpecialOlympics.”
Before taking on the role, which ultimately earned him an Oscar nomination, Downey Jr. had his concerns.
On The Joe Rogan Experience in 2020, he recounted: “I thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that. I’ll do that after Iron Man.’ And then I started thinking, ‘This is a terrible idea.’”
Elsewhere in the discussion, Downey Jr. revealed why he had a change of heart.
“I get to hold up to nature the insane self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they think they’re allowed to do on occasion,” he explained.
“Ben, who is a masterful artist and director… knew exactly what the vision for this was, he executed it, it was impossible to not have it be an offensive nightmare of a movie. And 90% of my Black friends were like, ‘Dude, that was great.’”
Related Article: Jamie Foxx Says Robert Downey Jr. Starred In A More Offensive Film Than Tropic Thunder
Related Article: Jennifer Aniston Says A ‘Whole Generation’ Now Finds Friends Offensive
Credit: @kyliejenner/Instagram
Celebrity
Kylie Jenner Is No Longer The Most Followed Woman On Instagram
Kylie Jenner is no longer the most followed woman on Instagram.
Jenner, 25, shot to fame in her family’s reality TV show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and she’s also the founder of the popular makeup brand Kylie Cosmetics.
Jenner has now become one of the most recognised celebrities in the world and has a staggering 380 million Instagram followers.
Until recently, this made the makeup mogul the most followed woman on the social media platform.
However, she’s now been dethroned by another huge star.
Find out what Kylie Jenner has to say about having two children below…
This title has now been taken over by pop star and actress Selena Gomez, who has 381 million Instagram followers at the time of writing.
The ‘Ready or Not’ singer previously held the title, before being overtaken by fellow singer Ariana Grande.
Jenner then overtook both of them and was recognised as being the most followed female on the platform.
Related Article: Selena Gomez Hits Back At Trolls For Body-Shaming Her
Related Article: Kylie Jenner Warned About Very Rude Meaning Of Her Son’s New Name
Fans are now taking to social media to congratulate the former Disney star on becoming the most followed woman on Instagram.
One person comments: “And everything is once again right in the world. The queen is back on her deserved throne!”
“Queen of Instagram,” another adds.
A third person comments: “Selena Gomez is once again the most followed woman on Instagram. Queen is back!”
While somebody else writes: “Y’all Selena Gomez reached 381m on Instagram. So proud.”
Amid Jenner being dethroned from her Instagram title, she and model Hailey Bieber have been facing a backlash.
Gomez’s fans have accused the stars of throwing shade at the ‘Calm Down’ singer after she uploaded a TikTok that said she’d ‘laminated her eyebrows too much’.
A few hours later, Jenner and Bieber shared screenshots of a FaceTime call between them, where they were both zooming in on their eyebrows.
However, Jenner quickly squashed the rumours by commenting on a fan’s page: “This is reaching.
“No shade towards Selena ever and I didn’t see her eyebrow posts!
“U guys are making something out of nothing. This is silly.”
Gomez even replied to Jenner’s comment, adding: “Agreed Kylie Jenner. It’s all unnecessary. I’m a fan of Kylie!”