The Real Reasons Ben Stiller Isn't Acting Anymore

For a while in the late '90s and 2000s, it felt like you couldn't watch a trailer for a new comedy without seeing the familiar face of Ben Stiller. He appeared in five or six films a year for the majority of the decade, delighting audiences with his stark comedic deadpan, especially when the film's plot placed him in completely absurd or embarrassing situations. Lately, though, it seems that the prolific actor has moved away from the limelight and into the background. He appears to be looking for a new direction in his career, but many fans are wondering if they'll be seeing him on the big screen again any time soon. Between directorial aspirations, personal and interpersonal trials, and global refugee concerns, it seems Stiller has had a very full plate for the last few years. It's no wonder that acting has taken a back seat. Let's take a closer look at what's been keeping him from acting, and the real reasons you don't see Ben Stiller anymore.

In 2013, Stiller directed and starred in the difficult-to-define film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, adapted from James Thurber's short story, originally published in 1939. Though not his directorial debut by a long shot, the film has a very different tone from previous Stiller works like The Cable Guy and Zoolander. In a 2013 interview around the release of Mitty, Stiller claimed, "For me, the whole creative experience is much more fulfilling as a director." He discussed his childhood dream of becoming a cinematographer and a director, and how acting often just came about as the creative process on a given project got underway. Since 2013, he's directed Zoolander 2 and worked on the Showtime original series Escape at Dannemora. Another TV series, Super Sad True Love Story, an adaptation of Gary Shteyngart's 2010 novel of the same name, was announced at Showtime in 2016.

Stiller's short film and TV credits for directing are only a small part of his non-acting oeuvre. He's directed five films that have seen major theatrical release, and he's produced ten times as many other film projects, including documentaries such as The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story. A straightforward documentary about a pair of songwriting brothers seems like a departure for Stiller, but the limited release met mostly favorable reviews, proving he's an artist of many interests and talents. In many cases, he's served as a writer on film projects as well, like Zoolander and its 2016 sequel. Clearly, there's precedent for Stiller to take a step back from acting to focus on diversifying his non-acting skills and pursue those long-standing goals of pulling the strings to make movie magic happen.

Sequels are always rough, and the long-gestating Zoolander follow-up is a perfect example. The original was more of a cult hit than a break-out success, but Zoolander 2 missed the bar completely, failing to fare well in the eyes of critics or filmgoers. In fact, it struck audiences as so unsatisfying that it garnered Golden Raspberry Awards nominations for Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor, Worst Screen Combo, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Supporting Actress — and poor Kristen Wiig actually won her nomination. Coming off the diminishing returns suffered by the sequels Stiller filmed for Meet the Parents and Night at the Museum, it would be fair to surmise that franchise work is creatively unsatisfying for Stiller, especially if he feels like he could be pursuing projects in different genres and roles. Endless sequels probably aren't what audiences most want to see Stiller in, either.

In May of 2017, Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor separated with stated intentions to divorce after an 18-year relationship and 17-year marriage. Over a year and a half later, they were still legally married and keeping friendly relations for the sake of their teenage children, Ella and Quinlin. The couple were seen together as recently as the summer of 2018, seeming to indicate that even though they're apart there are no hard feelings. Still, a separation and possibly imminent divorce is a lot to handle emotionally on top of a brush with cancer and a string of less-than-inspired sequels. It's refreshing to see a recently-split celebrity couple still getting along after ending such a long relationship, and maybe the outcome will be positive for all parties involved, but it would be naive to think that all this personal turmoil isn't affecting Stiller's creative life.

One of Ben Stiller's more recent projects is directing the seven-part Showtime miniseries Escape at Dannemora, a thriller based on the true story of a correctional facility escape in upstate New York in 2015. Starring such luminaries as Benicio del Toro and Patricia Arquette, Dannemora follows two convicted murderers who escape with the aid of a prison employee with whom they become romantically embroiled. A straightforward TV drama full of messy romantic tension seems like an even further stretch than a documentary for Stiller, but the series has been met with acclaim, earning an 89 percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The real-life prison employee, Joyce Mitchell, portrayed by Arquette in the series, is far less happy about how she was portrayed, and had harsh words for the director. Still, a resounding TV hit has got to feel good for Stiller.

The long-rumored sequel to the 2004 sports comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story appears to officially be in the works. Few details are known at this point, but Stiller, who starred in the original as White Goodman alongside Vince Vaughn's Pete LaFleur, is reportedly attached as a producer. The entire project seems very much up in the air, but fans have long been hopeful that it will see the light of day with the original cast returning to reprise their roles. Knowing how busy Stiller is with his production company, directing for Showtime, and traveling the world in the name of humanitarian aid and activism, it could be quite some time before the big screen is graced with Dodgeball 2. Until that day comes, there's plenty of Stiller's behind-the-scenes work for fans to enjoy — including the Stiller-produced CW dramedy In the Dark, set to make its debut in April 2019.