Ben Stiller (episode)

Goran and Ben Stiller on set

## Guest appearances

Ben Stiller

> *"Andy and Maggie are working on a gritty drama about atrocities in the Balkans directed by Hollywood star Ben Stiller."*
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'**Ben Stiller**' is the first episode of the first season of *Extras*. It was originally broadcast on 21 July 2005 on BBC Two and on 25 September 2005 on HBO. The special guest for this episode was American actor Ben Stiller.

## Summary

Andy and Maggie are best friends who are playing extras in the film Ben Stiller is directing, which is based on the life of Goran, an Eastern European man whose wife and son were killed in the Yugoslav Wars. Andy attempts to get a speaking part by befriending Goran, who eventually gets Andy a spoken line. However, Andy gets in an argument with Stiller just before shooting his scene and Stiller kicks him off the set.

Maggie is attracted to one of the crew, Jon. However, she stops finding him attractive when Andy points out that John has one leg shorter than the other.

Jackie, who works on the set, invites Andy and Maggie to her birthday party. He fabricates a reason to not attend, but Maggie fails in her attempt to. He decides to go when he hears that the film's producer, Martin, will be there. At the party, Andy tries to ingratiate himself with Martin by pretending to share Martin's liking of Japanese cinema. Andy and Maggie leave after offending a Japanese-American woman.

## Plot

Andy and Maggie are shooting an outdoor scene of a tragic war movie, with Ben Stiller directing. Andy's snooty frenemy Greg is there as well.

Stiller calls the cast together and talks about the film, which is based on the life of Goran, an Eastern European man who lost his wife and son in the Yugoslav Wars. Stiller displays false modesty about his success with comedies like *Dodgeball*.

Goran recommends that the scene have more smoke, and requests that his Coca-Cola be colder. Andy remarks to Maggie how powerful screenwriters are. Maggie eyes Goran, but Andy points out what it's a bad idea to date someone whose wife has murdered. She looks around for someone else.

Maggie reports to the production office to ask about her pay. She meets an attractive young man behind the desk named Jon and flirts with him; he smiles back.

Andy approaches Goran's trailer and requests that Goran ask Stiller to give Andy a speaking part in the movie. Goran is looking over pictures of his deceased family. Goran starts to cry and Andy makes a hasty exit.

Maggie and Andy are sitting around in between scenes. Co-worker Jackie Greer approaches and invites them to her birthday party. Maggie tries to make up an excuse and fails; Andy's ploy works.

At lunch, Maggie is asking Andy if he prefers his food too salty or too sweet. They run into Jon, who is eating his lunch at a table. Maggie flirts awkwardly with him. It turns out he's going to Jackie's party, and when he mentions the producers will be there, Andy decides he will go, too.

Andy returns to Goran's trailer and brings him a £15 gift card as a thank you for getting him a line. Goran doesn't remember promising to get Andy a line but he agrees to talk to Stiller.

Stiller is directing another fighting scene and yells at a small child actor, scaring him.

Andy and Maggie arrive at the birthday party. Jackie points out the producer, Martin, and Andy makes a beeline for him. Meanwhile, Maggie spots Jon sitting with friends and greets him.

Andy stands next to Martin while he's talking to other people and tries to insinuate himself into the conversation. He ends up buying a bottle of champagne for the group. He lies his way through a conversation with Martin about Japanese film.

Maggie interrupts Andy and pulls him out of his conversation with Martin. She tells him she's about to leave the party with Jon. Andy notices Jon standing and it points out that he has one leg shorter than another and wears a large prosthetic shoe. When Jon comes to take Maggie, she says she's changed her mind but won't admit that it is due to his disability, pretending she has not noticed. Jon is sees through her facade, is offended and leaves.

Andy tries to return to Martin's group conversation, this time with Maggie, and he puts his foot in his mouth by bringing up skin colour.

On the outdoor set the next day, Goran is pleased to tell Andy he got him a part with a line. Andy thanks him but asks if he can have a bigger role with more lines. Andy presses him and Goran agrees to try.

Stiller appears tense, showing the actors how to use the weapons to cause optimal damage, making them nervous. Goran approaches and asks for a bigger role for Andy. Stiller erupts at Goran and affirms that he is in charge. Goran rebuts that the movie is about him and his deceased family. Stiller yells, "Would you stop going on about your fucking dead wife?" The set goes quiet as everyone is aghast.

Maggie interferes to Stiller to defend Goran, and he dismisses her rudely. Andy then backs up Maggie and promptly insults Stiller by calling him "Starsky or Hutch, I can't remember." Stiller tries to be cool but ends up looking worse. Andy gets himself thrown off the set.

## Cast

### Main

* Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman
* Ashley Jensen as Maggie Jacobs

### Guest

* Ben Stiller as himself
* Boris Boscovic as Goran
* Steve Jackson as Jon
* Lisa Sadovy as Jackie Greer
* Jay Villiers as Martin

### Extra

* Eleanor Matsuura as Martin's wife
* Jo Wyatt as Woman in bar
* Thomas Byrne as Boy
* Paul Tripp as Grip
* Russell Loten as Partygoer (uncredited)
* Mike Savva as Mike (uncredited)

## Quotes

* Andy Millman: (turning down an invitation to a party) *"I can't. I'm doing... anything else."*
* Ben Stiller: *"I've kissed Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore! I've slapped Jennifer Aniston's butt!"*

## Trivia

* According to Ricky Gervais, Ben Stiller's rant at the end of the episode was largely improvised.
* This episode was originally filmed as the second episode of the series, but was broadcast first because Ben Stiller was better known by American audiences than Ross Kemp or Vinnie Jones (guest stars in the other episode).
* The scene where Ben Stiller tells an extra how to beat up an old lady with the butt of a gun was completely ad-libbed.

## Cultural references

* The producer Martin mentions *The Magnificent Seven* (1960) being a remake of *Seven Samurai* (1954).
* Martin names Andrzej Wajda's war trilogy *A Generation* (1955) as an inspiration for the film he and Ben Stiller are working on.
* Whilst listing films with numbers in their names, Andy mentions *Ocean's Eleven* (1960) and *The Dirty Dozen* (1967).
* Maggie says that Jon's orthopaedic shoe reminds her of Herman Munster from the 1964 television series *The Munsters*.
* Martin talks about the Watcher character and an upcoming project he's working on that he says is somewhat like the 1989 mini-series *Dekalog*.
* Ben Stiller mentions and alludes to films that he starred in, including:
	+ *Meet the Parents* (2000)
	+ *Duplex* (2003)
	+ *Along Came Polly* (2004)
	+ *Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story* (2004)
	+ *Meet the Fockers* (2004)
* When defending Maggie, Andy says Ben Stiller is "Starsky or Hutch, I can't remember," referencing the 1970s television series *Starsky & Hutch* or its 2004 film adaptation of the same name.

## Gallery

A promotional shot of Ben Stiller and Andy MillmanAndy and Maggie in the middle of an awkward conversation at Martin's party