The actor who inspired Ben Stiller’s character in ‘Zoolander’: “It doesn’t get more Blue Steely than this”
Ben Stiller is the man of the moment after his record-breaking success with Severance, the series that has taken the world by storm and reinvigorated audiences to the sheer atrocities of late-stage capitalism and the modern workforce. While Stiller’s directorial career seemed to explode from nowhere after the release of the first season, he has been quietly plugging away at this side of his career since the late ‘80’s, helming the classic 1994 film Reality Bites with Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke, subsequently directing the bizarre comedy The Cable Guy, starring Jim Carrey.
However, he is most known for his role within the comedy realm, acting in beloved films such as Night at the Museum, Meet the Parents and Dodgeball. While he has honed a specific career path for himself through his blend of slapstick humour and exaggerated facial expressions, he is perhaps most recognised for one specific character whose trademark look was influenced by one very serious actor.
Despite his reputation for playing silly and light-hearted characters, Stiller’s penchant for more poignant subject matter has been evident since his 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. After directing and starring in the film, it was evident that he had more talents to be showcased, with similarly existential and anti-capitalist strands in the story that follow a man who has been devoted to working for his entire life and forgotten to truly live, breaking free from the confines of his regular routine to begin a real adventure.
However, while he has suddenly exploded a new realm of seriousness through the creation of Severance, which bears no resemblance to the light-hearted goofiness of his earlier projects, he swept global audiences through a single look in his 2001 film, Zoolander.
Following a runway model called Derek Zoolander, the story takes place after his professional nemesis is awarded the model of the year award, a title he has held for three years running. He is then turned into an evil killing machine by an evil fashion guru who wants to use him to eliminate any competition. While the story is classically ridiculous and entertaining within the comedy genre, Stiller became most famous for his character’s trademark facial expression, with audiences all over the world imitating the ‘blue steel’ look as he pouts his way to success.
While there has been much conversation as to who inspired this iconic character, the actor recently quelled any rumours about it when revealing the original inspiration for this expression, describing Pierce Brosnan as the pioneer of this look. When asked if it was true that the former James Bond actor was the inspiration behind the look, Stiller responded, “Definitely. It doesn’t get more blue steely than this”. Brosnan’s iteration of the secret agent has a definitive pouty look, with the actor creating a schmoozy facial expression to accompany his smooth-talking character.
It is easy to see how Stiller could be inspired by this, and while it is also mocking the slightly smug and cocky nature of the character who seemingly thinks of himself very highly, it works perfectly in the satirical modelling comedy.
