Ben Stiller recently opened up about what he considers to be the ‘worst decision’ he has ever made in his life.
The 59-year-old actor and comedian is widely recognized for his slapstick humor and sharp wit, showcased in films like There’s Something About Mary and the Meet the Parents series where he played Gaylord ‘Grey’ Focker.
Over the course of his extensive career, Stiller has accumulated numerous accolades, including an Emmy Award, three MTV Movie Awards, a Directors Guild of America Award, and the Charlie Chaplin Award for Excellence in Comedy.
It’s perhaps no surprise that, being the son of two comedians and having carved out his own niche in the entertainment world, Stiller describes himself as a ‘perfectionist’.
Despite his meticulous approach to his career, the Zoolander star revealed a significant personal regret involving his daughter and his work commitments.
In his new Apple TV documentary, Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost, Stiller disclosed that he removed his daughter from a role in his 2013 film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
In the film adaptation of James Thurber’s 1939 story, Stiller directed and starred, and his daughter, Ella, was initially cast to portray a young Odessa Mitty, the sister of his character, Walter Mitty.
Stiller admitted, “I cut you out of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It’s probably the worst decision I ever made in my life,” reflecting on how he has lived with the decision ever since.
Though it might seem harsh, Ella, now 23, responded by saying she remembered feeling ‘really scared’ during the filming process.
She also mentioned that the scene ‘didn’t make sense in the movie’ anyway.
Stiller elaborated that the decision felt personal, saying, “For me, it kind of goes deeper. What it relates to is my own issues with my own obsession with my work, or ‘perfectionism’.”
Reflecting on his upbringing by his comedic parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, he added, “The irony is, I thought I was doing so much better than my parents. I thought I was pulling it off.”
“I was flying home on the weekends and having special places for the kids to play when they come visit the set, but in reality – and just hearing them talk about it – for them, it was the same thing I was going through as a kid, and I just couldn’t see that at all at the time.”
Despite being cut from the film, Ella has continued to pursue her own career in entertainment with roles in TV shows and movies like And Just Like That…, Driver’s Ed, and Happy Gilmore 2.