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7 Things You Never Knew About ‘Zoolander’

That Zoolander 2 is so hot right now, and we can’t wait for the film to hit theaters this week. But while we kill time waiting for our latest dose of Le Tigre and Magnum, and find out if there really is anything more to life than being really, really ridiculously good looking, we thought we’d dig up a few things you may not know about the unbelievable first film.

1. Blue Steel is Ben Stiller’s Bathroom Face

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Derek Zoolander’s most iconic look is Ben Stiller’s own creation – it came from his wife Christine Taylor (Matilda in the film) making fun of the way he combed his hair in the mirror.

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2. “But Why Male Models?”

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One of the movies funniest moments comes when the film’s plot is finally revealed, only for a confused Derek to helplessly repeat: “But why male models?” Except that isn’t what he was meant to do – Stiller forgot his line, and everyone else just went with it.

3. You Can’t Watch it in Malaysia

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Zoolander revolves around a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia for his efforts to end child labor. Even though Malaysia comes out of it all pretty well, the country’s government didn’t see it that way: the film was deemed “definitely unsuitable” for release.

4. Mugatu Comes Straight Outta ‘Star Trek’

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Ben Stiller is a self-confessed Trekkie, and cribbed the name of Will Ferrell’s villain ‘Mugatu’ from an original series monster. That wasn’t the only inspiration either – Ferrell’s character got his tufts of curly white hair from the albino, yeti-esque creature too.

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5. It’s A Family Affair

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Not only does Ben Stiller’s wife play Derek’s love interest in the film, he brought most of the rest of his family along too. His dad, Jerry Stiller, plays Maury Ballstein; his later mother, Anne Meara, plays a protester who eggs Mugatu; and his sister, Amy Stiller, is part of Hansel’s crew.

6. A Goat Almost Made it R-Rated

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When the film first went to the MPAA for approval, it came back with an R-rating – not least because of the goat included in the film’s orgy sequence. Stiller re-cut the scene five different times and even personally appeared in front of the MPAA board to get it passed at a PG-13 – but the goat didn’t make it.

7. Justin Theroux’s Breakdancing is For Real

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Justin Theroux almost stole the movie as ‘Evil DJ’, the dreadlocked, breakdancing disc jockey with a penchant for “Relax”. What you may not know is that Theroux’s breakdancing was all for real – Stiller first saw him do it at his wedding and persuaded him to bring his skills to the film.

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