Ben Stiller 'Never Thought' He'd 'Take This Much Time Away from Acting': Why He Returned for a New Role

Mar. 15, 2025

Ben Stiller in New York City on Sept. 26, 2023.Photo:Lexie Moreland/WWD via Getty

Lexie Moreland/WWD via Getty

Ben Stilleris ready to get in front of the camera again.

Stiller spoke withVarietyabout his return to acting after having focused more on directing, telling the outlet, “I never thought I’d take this much time away from acting."

“It wasn’t intentional; it was just how things evolved," said theSeverancedirector and executive producer, who also directed the 2019 limited seriesEscape at Dannemora. (His last major screen role was in 2017’sBrad’s Status.)

Ben Still (L) inNutcrackers(2024).Courtesy of TIFF

Courtesy of TIFF

According to asynopsis from TIFF, Stiller stars inNutcrackersas a “hotshot Chicago real estate developer” named Michael who “never had time for family,” adding, “His sister once said he was incapable of love.”

“But when Michael’s sister and her husband have a terrible accident, their house, farm and four boys become Michael’s responsibility,” the synopsis continues.

“He drives out to his sister’s small Ohio town thinking all he needs to do is sign some papers and get back to the city, but it’s not nearly that simple. With the parents gone, the boys are practically feral. Until the family services worker (Linda Cardellini) can find them a home, their only guardian is Uncle Mike.”

The synopsis adds. “Desperate to free himself from inherited fatherhood, he’s both surprised and thrilled to learn his sister trained her boys in ballet. Can that make them cute enough to foster?”

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Ben Stiller in Los Angeles on April 8, 2022.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

In his conversation withVariety, Stiller said the stars aligned for him to doNutcrackers, in that the movie “happened in a zone where it was literally the only time I could have made it.”

“A few months later, and I couldn’t have done it," theZoolanderactor said.

Of how his real-life relationship with the kids who play his nephews on set compared to their onscreen dynamic, Stilled told the outlet, “I wanted to have a good relationship with them, because sometimes I have to be a jerk in the movie.”

“Especially with a kid who hasn’t acted before, you watch them react to something you say and look hurt. First you think, ‘That’s great for the movie!’ And then you’re like, ‘Gee, I hope that’s not damaging,' " he added.

The Toronto Film Festival runs from Sept. 5 through Sept. 15.

source: people.com