Ben Stiller revealed that he once approached Barack Obama to voice a character in the series 'Severance,' but the former president declined due to scheduling conflicts. Stiller relayed the request through Obama's lawyer and received a gracious response indicating his appreciation for the show. Stiller humorously reflected on the effort to contact Obama and related it to his recent successes, including a second season of 'Severance' and a memorable Oscars presentation. The anecdote illustrates how even celebrities navigate communication with public figures.
I knew someone who knew his lawyer, and his lawyer said I can relay the request if you write an email. So, I wrote an email to him and like two days later I got an email back from President Barack Obama saying, Hey Ben, big fan of the show. Love season 1, can't wait for season 2. Don't think I have time in my schedule to make this happen.
To me, the funniest part of the story is that even a celebrity on Stiller's level still needs to find some backdoor way to talk to Obama. I'd like to think that had Stiller offered him a better role, Obama may have shuffled some meetings around.
Stiller pulled off one of the funniest bits at the 2025 Oscars while presenting the award for Best Production Design. The actor stood halfway under the stage and spoke to the Dolby Theater audience as part of an intentional stage malfunction.
I was focusing on the bit, but I was also aware that the [Knicks] game was happening, Stiller told Kimmel. See, I knew he was still thinking about the Knicks! I wasn't going to watch it on my phone.
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