Zoolander 2may have bombed a few years ago, but that won’t be the last time Ben Stiller fans see his famous “Blue Steel” pose. The actor reprised his beloved role in a Pepsi ad that aired during the Super Bowl.
Although the firstZoolander, co-written and directed by Stiller, was a hit thanks to its ridiculous satirization of the modeling world, the sequel’s failure killed any chances of a thirdcomedystarring the male model duo of Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald. Nevertheless, Super Bowl commercials are always a fun occasion for actors to have some fun with their best-known roles, as seen in Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul’s return in aBreaking Badad for PopCorners.
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Of course, it’s not all aboutZoolander, as Pepsi called on Stiller to parody some other famous films, including Leonardo DiCaprio’s acclaimed performance inThe RevenantorMatt Damon’s inThe Martian. There were also some splashes of Stiller’s comedic talent here and there. Yet, Zoolander’s “really, ridiculously, good-tasting” description of Pepsi Zero Sugar remains unmatched compared to all the other bits, which goes well with the company’s “Great Acting or Great Taste?” name for the ad.
A previous video from the same marketing campaign had featured Steve Martin doing a similar ad. There was also one pitting the two stars together, with Martin making fun of Stiller’s work as a comedy actor, which is “not real acting,” something he’d know a thing or two about. In another bit, Martin calls Stiller a “nepo baby” and mocks his awkward character as his own personality, though by now, moviegoers will know Stiller’s range expands well beyond comedy.
Unfortunately, people wanting to see more “Blue Steel” won’t get a thirdZoolanderin the future since Stiller has reflected in the second movie’s bust as an opportunity to walk away from silly comedies for a while and work on movies likeThe Meyerowitz Storieswith other comedy greats, even if he hasn’t directed another film since. Perhaps Stiller’s most accomplished directorial work isTropic Thunder, a movie so out there that evenTom Cruise dropped by for a cameo. However,Tropic Thunder's political incorrectness might have kept it from making it into Pepsi’s ad.
Besides Cranston, Paul and Stiller,Paul Rudd also starred in an Ant-Man Heinekenad to promoteAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.However,neither Ant-Man nor any other Avengers have Zoolander’s looks or impeccable mastery of the English language.
