Ben Stiller reveals why he stopped taking lead roles for seven years

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

Ben Stiller has addressed why audiences haven’t seen him in a lead role in seven years.

The comedy legend, 58, best known for starring in early 2000s classics including Meet the Fockers, Zoolander and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, has spent the majority of his time recently working behind the camera.

“I’ve been working on projects as a director and producer for a while, and wanting to act, but I kind of made the choice a few years ago that I was only going to do something if it really hit me,” Stiller explained during a recent panel at the Toronto International Film Festival following the screening of his newest movie Nutcrackers.

Directed by David Gordon Green, Nutcrackers is about an uptight real estate professional (Stiller) who teams up with a child services worker (Linda Cardellini) to find a home for his four rowdy, orphaned nephews.

The comedy-drama also stars four real-life brothers, Homer, Ulysses, and twins Atlas and Arlo Janson, and is based on true events.

It marks Stiller’s first time in a lead role since 2017’s Brad’s Status and The Meyerowitz Stories.

“David emailed me one night, and for some reason I read it right way. Intuition hit me, there’s something about this movie, I want to make this movie, I want to meet these kids,” Stiller said of his decision to join the project.

“I can’t explain it to you, other than this feels like something I want to do and to work with David, knowing where he was coming from with it, it was such an organic, emotionally real place,” the Night at the Museum actor shared.

“I’m so happy that David called me about this movie,” Stiller added. “It’s so from the heart, it’s so organic, he sent me this email, and he said, I’ve got this idea and there are these four kids, they’ve never been in a movie before, but I think they’re incredible. I want to shoot at their farm in Ohio and there’s going to be hogs and cats.

“I was like, all right! There’s something so real about making this movie. It was unlike any experience I’ve ever had.”

Nutcrackers has no confirmed release date as it has yet to find a distributor.

Since taking a break from fronting movies, Stiller has been working as a producer and director on several titles, including Apple TV+’s Emmy-winning sci-fi thriller Severance, which is returning for its second season on January 17, 2025.

He’s also worked as an executive producer on The CW’s police procedural In the Dark as well as Apple TV+’s one-season drama High Desert.