As Zoolander turns 25 this week, the timing is especially loaded: its soundtrack arrived on September 25, 2001. The 2001 American comedy was directed, co-produced, co-written by and starring Ben Stiller. A satire on the fashion industry, it follows Derek Zoolander as he is tricked by fashion mogul Jacobim Mugatu into assassinating the Prime Minister of Malaysia, whose progressive laws would harm Mugatu’s businesses. It opened with $15.5 million and grossed $60.8 million worldwide against a $28 million budget.
The first ending killed Derek off
The original ending would have had Derek fatally struck by a train and ascending to heaven. Producers scrapped the idea because they feared they could not fit it into the film’s original budget.
A VH1 sketch launched the character
Ben Stiller first created the character for a skit at the 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards. The name ‘Derek Zoolander’ was invented by Bates while he was editing the first short film.
The name blends two real Calvin Klein models
The name was inspired by the names of two male models who both worked for Calvin Klein: Mark Vanderloo and Johnny Zander. It tied the character to the exact world the film satirised.
The opening was shot at a real awards show
The opening scenes were filmed at the real life 2000 VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. Filming took place during commercial breaks.
Hansel and Mugatu could have looked very different
Owen Wilson was Stiller’s first choice for the role of Hansel, but it was uncertain if he would be available and auditions were held. Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role. Andy Dick was going to play Mugatu, but was unavailable due to a previous commitment to the TV show Go Fish.
Stiller nearly played two roles
Stiller had originally intended to play Derek’s agent Maury as well, but was already set to play the lead role and direct the film. He cast his father Jerry Stiller as Maury instead.
David Bowie judged the walk-off as himself
David Bowie appeared as himself as the judge of the walk-off scene, filming his cameo in September 2000. He later said, ‘It was just too funny a script to walk past. An absolute hoot!’ Biographer Nicholas Pegg described the appearance as ‘willingly sending up the media’s image of him as the ultimate arbiter of cool.’ His entrance was accompanied by a freeze-frame and a snippet of ‘Let’s Dance’ (1983).
Derelicte was a parody of a real fashion line
‘Derelicte’ is the name given to the fashion line designed by Mugatu and is a parody of a real fashion line created by John Galliano in 2000, which used clothing worn by the destitute as its inspiration. The fictional line consists of clothing made from everyday objects that could be found on the streets of New York.
Which of these Zoolander facts can you not unsee? Tell us your favourite.
Facts from Wikipedia: Zoolander, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
