The actor says that an iconic singer who filmed a cameo for “Zoolander” was “incredibly generous” and “incredibly classy.”

Ben Stiller reveals the 1 person he’s worked with who left everybody on set ‘in awe’: ‘Couldn’t believe he said yes’

The actor says that an iconic singer who filmed a cameo for "Zoolander" was "incredibly generous" and "incredibly classy."

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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February 6, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

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Ben Stiller at the 2025 Governors Awards. Credit:

Frazer Harrison/WireImage

- Ben Stiller says that working with David Bowie on *Zoolander* was one "one of the high points" of his career.

- The *Meet the Parents* star says that "everybody on set was in awe" of the "Starman" singer.

- Stiler adds, "I couldn't believe he said yes" to the cameo.

Ben Stiller occasionally gets starstruck — especially when he sees a starman.

The *Zoolander* actor tells ** that working with David Bowie was among the most treasured memories from his storied career.

"Having worked with so many different people over the years, it's really one of the high points to have had that time with him," Stiller says of working with Bowie when the "Life on Mars" singer filmed a cameo for the 2001 comedy about an empty-headed male model. "He was incredibly generous, incredibly classy — everybody on set was in awe."

Ben Stiller, David Bowie, and Owen Wilson in 'Zoolander'.

Bowie played himself in a brief *Zoolander* scene in which he judges a runway "walk-off" between the movie's rival fashion plates, Derek Zoolander (Stiller) and Hansel McDonald (Owen Wilson). After explaining that the showdown will be beholden to "old-school rules" and telling the models to "go to work," Bowie writes careful notes on his palm as he evaluates their performances.

Bowie is later stunned to witness Hansel remove his underpants while keeping the rest of his outfit intact on the runway, and peeks under Stiller's legs to announce Derek's disqualification after he fails to pull off the same undergarment stunt.

Ben Stiller in 'Zoolander'.

Paramount Pictures/Getty

"When he said yes to doing it, I couldn't believe he said yes," Stiller says of Bowie's cameo. "But he had a great sense of humor and was incredibly self-deprecating, and I feel really, really fortunate that I got to spend a little time with him."

The *Royal Tenenbaums* actor also notes that Bowie's appearance in the film helped lend *Zoolander* an air of legitimacy that it would have otherwise lacked. "He gave our movie so much credibility by being in that scene," Stiller says. "So it's been a high point in my career to be able to have that time with him, for sure."

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Stiller also details working with another A-lister musician, Ariana Grande, in the upcoming *Meet the Parents* sequel *Focker In-Law*.

"It was great to have her energy coming into this franchise that has been around a long time, and we hadn't done for a very long time," he says. "She's incredibly professional, and watching her on *SNL*, she knows comedy, and she was just a joy to work with. I had a blast working with her, and I think what she brought to the movie is just a very, very new sensibility that also felt very much like it worked within the tone of the movie."

Ben Stiller in London in 2025.

Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty for Apple TV+

The *Greenberg* star's latest project sees him team up with yet another prominent singer: an Instacart ad campaign featuring Benson Boone. The commercials finds Stiller and the "Beautiful Things" musician playing brothers with vague European accents who compete for the spotlight as they sing about the delivery app's Preference Picker feature.

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Stiller has nothing but praise for his costar. "That guy is incredible. I loved him," he says. "He's so talented. He's got such a great, open attitude towards trying something new. I don't think he's done a lot of acting, and he just jumped into the improv and he just has this incredible ability to put himself out there in his musical talent, his physical abilities, and his willingness to kind of go and have fun."

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Source: “EW Comedy”