Trivia / Zoolander

• Banned in China: In Malaysia, the movie was banned due to scenes showing Malaysians as sweatshop workers^note Which the prime minister of Malaysia at the time took as a criticism of his New Economic Policy edict, which invited foreign companies to set up factories in Malaysia and use Malaysians for labor.; in Singapore, it was banned due to the plot centered on an assassination attempt against the Dalai Lama and because of Singapore's proximity to and ties with Malaysia. Both countries eventually rescinded the ban: Singapore rescinded the ban in 2006. Malaysia itself rescinded the ban in 2016, allowing the second movie to screen at cinemas and online services like Netflix to stream the first movie.
• Cast the Runner-Up: The part of Mugatu was originally written with Andy Dick in mind. When Dick declined due to scheduling conflicts, however, Will Ferrell was eventually selected to play the role. Dick was cast in the smaller role of Olga the masseuse.
• Copiously Credited Creator: Besides portraying the title character, Ben Stiller directed, wrote and produced the film.
• Directed by Cast Member: The Latin American Spanish dub was directed by Gabriel Gama, who voiced Derek Zoolander.
• Distanced from Current Events: The World Trade Center was removed from the theatrical release thanks to the movie being released shortly after the September 11th attacks. However, Ben Stiller later regretted making this change and had it restored in a later release.
• Defictionalization: Orange Mocha Frappuccinos were sold at Starbucks for a limited time.
• Dyeing for Your Art: Will Ferrell dyed his brown hair platinum blonde to play Mugatu.
• Executive Veto: The film originally ended with Zoolander getting hit by a train and ascending into heaven. However, the producers nixed the idea, as they felt it was too expensive to shoot.
• Fake Nationality:
  • The Prime Minister of Malaysia is played by Japanese-American Woodrow W. Asai.
  • John Vargas and Nora Dunn, who respectively portrayed the Italian and British fashion designers at the beginning of the film, are Americans.
  • Tony Kanal, who played the French fashion designer, is a British-American of Indian descent.
  • The German fashion designer is played by the Hungarian-born Endre Hules.
• Meme Acknowledgment: After the scene of Derek and Hansel dramatically staring each other down became a meme on TikTok in late 2022, Ben Stiller confirmed knowing about the meme via his daughter.
• Real-Life Relative: Christine Taylor, who played Matilda, is Ben Stiller's wife, Maury was played by Jerry Stiller, Ben's father, and the protester who eggs Mugatu in the beginning is Anne Meara, Ben's mother.
• Studio Hop: New Line Cinema was originally attached to the film, but the rights were held by VH1, who had produced the original Derek Zoolander short skits for the VH1 Fashion Awards. It was subsequently optioned to Paramount, which is owned by VH1's parent company, Paramount Global.
• Technology Marches On: Derek's tiny cell phone was a hilarious gag exaggerating the tendency back in 2001 for the most cutting-edge electronics to be miniaturized. Less than a decade afterwards this trend towards smaller was completely reversed because of smartphones and touch screen technology, which made having an enormous display desirable. Posters for the 2016 sequel depict Derek and Hansel taking selfies using the latest style of wide, flat smartphones.
• Throw It In!: At the end of David Duchovny's long explanation for why models make the perfect assassins, Ben Stiller forgot what the next line was, and tried to wordlessly re-do the take by repeating his earlier line, "But why male models?" Duchovny rolled with it and ad-libbed "...you serious? I just... I just told you that, a moment ago." (or, of course, he was genuinely dumbfounded- one or the other. Or both) Fortunately, the error fit Stiller's character and was left in the final film.
• What Could Have Been
  • The film originally had an R rating from the MPAA due to the orgy sequence in the film. Stiller cut down the sequence to remove a goat and eventually convinced the MPAA that the sequence was "more silly than sexy", thus getting it a PG-13 rating.
  • Limp Bizkit was going to record a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" for the soundtrack and, later, their fourth album. After guitarist Wes Borland left, the recording was abandoned. Powerman 5000 and Danny Boy instead recorded their own cover in Limp Bizkit's style.
  • Owen Wilson was always Stiller's top choice to play Hansel, but when it briefly looked like his schedule wouldn't allow it, Stiller considered Jake Gyllenhaal.
  • In an original draft, Zoolander had a twin brother who was a Bruce Springsteen impersonator. This had a small Mythology Gag in the second film.
  • In another one of the drafts, Dr Mugatu had a secret island where he'd breed experimental models.
  • Originally, Zoolander was supposed to die at the end of the film, with it ending with him having a musical number with his old friends in heaven. It was considered a bit too dark and was changed before shooting began.
• Written by Cast Member: In addition to directing the film, Ben Stiller also co-wrote the story and screenplay.

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