Tropic Thunder (2008) starring Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and Ben Stiller is one of the most controversial yet entertaining laugh-out-loud comedies ever made. The satirical film focuses on four actors in the role of soldiers who have to fight their way out of a jungle when faced with real-life militants who they initially thought were part of the film they are making.
The film’s controversy mostly stemmed from the brown makeup of the character played by Downey Jr. But the film turned out to be a huge success with Downey Jr. being the main standout and receiving the highest praise from audiences and critics. Stiller and Downey Jr. have already voiced their opinions regarding their experiences, the film’s controversy, and how it does not affect them. Actor Jack Black has also voiced his experience regarding making the movie, including one scene that nearly killed him.
Jack Black Thought He Was Gonna Die While Riding On A Water Buffalo
In a GQ interview, Jack Black talked about some significant films of his career including High Fidelity (2000), Shallow Hal (2001), Orange County (2002), School of Rock (2003), King Kong (2005), and others. When the topic of Tropic Thunder came about, he recalled his experiences making the film. He remembers the incident that almost got him killed while making the film saying,
“I was on the back of a gigantic water buffalo at one point. It was carrying me around a mountain pass. We were like on our 13th take and I didn’t blame the water buffalo because I’m heavy and it didn’t want me on its back. And it started bucking like a bronco and they were like ‘ Cut Cut’ and I was like ‘I can’t stop him’. And he f*cking blew and I went flying, flip a** over tea kettle, somehow miraculously landed between two boulders. Wind knocked out of me, but no lacerations, no injuries. Miracle, I should have died.”
In a hilarious twist, Ben Stiller, the director of the film did not acknowledge what Black had gone through and asked everyone to prepare for another take of the same sequence. In response, Black walked off set while telling Stiller to get on the buffalo instead. Later, Stiller came to know about Black’s tragic incident and apologized.
Jack Black Also Described the Tedious Yet Satisfying Shooting Schedule
In the same interview, Jack Black talked about the shooting experience of the film in remote places in Hawaii. He described the hilarious irony of shooting in Hawaii and how the intense prep and the remoteness of the location made it challenging yet gratifying at the same time. He said,
“It was hard. Comedy is supposed to be super easy, but dude, the locations were remote. You’d say, ‘Oh, you’re filming in Hawaii, oh, that must be really chill. That’s probably paradise.’ But every day, dude, we had to get in a weird Jeep and drive over hill and dale. Like, really intense landscapes, mud spraying. For like an hour and a half to two hours, every morning. You’d get out there and then get into your costume and makeup and work. And we were like, slogging, screaming bloody murder, hiking up mountains, and doing really intense scenes. But, at the end of the day it was worth it. Cause it was funny as hell and really original. But the scenes I remember the most are the ones where I felt like I was actually going to die.”
Black praised the groundbreaking nature of the film, its dark yet funny tone, and its Academy Award-level cinematography. He also pointed out people who starred in the film who would later become some of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood including Robert Downey Jr.
Recent and Upcoming Works of Jack Black
Jack Black created a sensation with his role as Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023). The character’s musical number in the film and the song Peaches itself became a phenomenon and became a viral and trending song, reaching 56 on the US Billboard 100. The film itself became a huge hit grossing $1.36 billion at the box office, making it the second highest-grossing Hollywood film of 2023.
Black is set to return as Po in Kung Fu Panda 4. He will voice the character of Claptrap in the live-action adaptation of the popular video game Borderlands scheduled to release on August 9, 2024. He will also star in the Christmas comedy Dear Santa alongside Keegan-Michael Key.
Source: YouTube
