Ben Stiller finds heart in family history

Actor revisits his parents' comedy legacy in new documentary

LOS ANGELES:

Ben Stiller says he didn't think much about how his family would react to his new documentary 'Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost' until the film was completed.

"It was really kind of after the fact, once we got to the place where the movie was what it was, that I started to think about how it might feel to have it out in the world," Stiller told Reuters.

"I had to kind of figure that out for myself. Also, really thinking about my parents too, and how they would feel about having something like this out there," he added.

The film is a deeply personal project for the 'Meet the Parents' actor, exploring the lives and partnership of his late parents, legendary comedy duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.

The pair gained national fame after debuting on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' in 1963 and went on to star together in hit television series such as 'Rhoda' and 'The King of Queens.'

Meara passed away in 2015 at the age of 85, after 61 years of marriage to Jerry Stiller, who died in 2020. 'Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost' opens in cinemas on Friday and will stream on Apple TV+ from 24 October.

Reflecting on growing up as the child of famous entertainers, Stiller said fame often blurred the lines between private and public life. "That was a constant thing - always sort of being at the mercy of who your parents would run into as a kid. It can be a little disorienting," he said.

Now 59, Stiller admits that being a parent in Hollywood comes with its own set of challenges. "At the beginning, I wanted to try to be like the parent that doesn't make mistakes that their parents made. Of course, you end up making all these other mistakes. So that's the reality of life," he reflected.

His children, he said, have experienced similar moments of public recognition that once defined his own childhood. "And of course, my kids dealt with that with me," he said with a wry smile - acknowledging that, for the Stiller family, life and laughter have always been intertwined.