Ben Stiller explains how he advocated to lowerZoolander’s R rating.Zoolanderhas become one ofStiller’s classic comedies, gaining more of a cult following in the over two decades since it was released. It follows the story of a ditzy fashion model who is brainwashed and tricked into killing the Prime Minister of Malaysia. It is directed by Stiller himself, who also plays the titular character Derek Zoolander. In addition to Stiller,Zoolanderfeatured a leading cast including Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Christine Taylor, and Jerry Stiller.
Speaking in hisHot Onesinterview, Stiller explains why he tried to getZoolander’s rating changed. The actor-director details thatthe “goat orgy” was something that the MPA particularly did not take kindly to when deciding to giveZoolandera PG-13 versus an R-rating. Stiller then had to go appeal to them to “talk about other movies that had come out” that featured “worse things” than the content ofZoolander, in an attempt to change the rating to PG-13. He worried about the integrity of his project, not wanting to change the jokes. Check out the full quote from Stiller below:
I remember having to go speak to the arbitration board when they wanted to get Zoolander an R-rating. The goat orgy thing was something that they didn’t care for. Or they didn’t think it was wholesome enough. And it was just so ridiculous, the whole thing is so ridiculous. I wrote like a little speech and I had to go through it all. And I think I had to talk about other movies that had come out that had had, you know, worse things in them. No, I mean, but this was a real thing. It was nerve-wracking, because it was so important. Because, you know, when you have a comedy and you have jokes that you know work, the last thing you want to do is have to cut them for a rating.
What This Means For Zoolander
The Film’s Box Office May Have Suffered
Ultimately, Stiller did not get his wish, asZoolanderwas released with an R-rating. On the one hand, such a rating can often be limited for a film’s box office take home, as it narrows the pool of potential audience. On the other hand, it meant that Stiller did not have to “cut [certain jokes] for a rating” when it came to makingZoolander. While the use of profanity and even sexual content is fairly sparing, the R-rating did likely allow the film to sneak in some more risqué jokes than it otherwise would have been able to.
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That said,Zoolanderseemed to face some of the consequences of having an R-rating. The film was made on an estimated$28 million budget, but only turned around $60.7 million at the global box office. Movies typically need around 2x to 2.5x their budgets in order to break even, so ifZoolanderdid break even, it only just barely snuck by. TheZoolanderteam made a sequel 15 years later that they managed to get to be rated PG-13. However,Zoolander 2was disliked by criticsand made less money than the first movie on a higher budget.
Our Take On Zoolander’s Rating Debacle
R-Rated Movies Can Struggle At The Box Office
Zoolander’s story is emblematic of how strict MPA ratings can be. While there are certainly films that neatly fall into the categories of PG, PG-13, or R-ratings, the system can be very complicated for films likeZoolanderthat are more on the cusp. The satirical comedy’s box office narrative, however, shows that this rating really can determine a film’s future financial viability. Unfortunately, this did affectZoolanderin the short-term, though the film has gone on to become a beloved early 2000s comedy.
Zoolander
Cast
Released in 2001, Zoolander is an American comedy starring Ben Stiller as Derek Zoolander, a world-renowned fashion model that is nearing the end of his career. But as he is stepping out of the spotlight, Derek is brainwashed into killing the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The film spawned a sequel, Zoolander 2, which was released in 2016.
