Drew Barrymore And Ben Stiller Revisit Their “Benjamin Rabbit” Days On “The Drew Barrymore Show”
Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller took a delightful walk down memory lane during Stiller’s appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. While promoting the second season of his hit Apple TV+ series Severance, Ben, 59, found himself caught in a wave of nostalgia as Drew, 49, revealed an old nickname she’d given him over 20 years ago.
“Benjamin Rabbit!” Drew exclaimed with a laugh, playfully making bunny ears with her hands after saying, “And this is Benjamin Rabbit’s first time [on the show]”
The quirky nickname, it turns out, originated from their time filming the 2003 dark comedy Duplex, directed by Danny DeVito. Ben and Drew starred as a couple who buy a dream duplex in New York City, only to have their lives hilariously upended by the elderly woman living in the rent-controlled upstairs unit.
“I would recommend anybody who ever has a chance to do a movie with Drew Barrymore do it because it’s literally — it’s the best experience,” Ben said, further telling the actress that she is “who you are in real life.”
“This beautiful positivity that you put out into the world is who you are and working on a set with you was just so much fun and you brought — because I’m not always so positive and you lifted me up and I really just really enjoyed it,” he added.
Ben even shared a special memory from their Duplex days. “And my daughter was born while we were filming,” he revealed, adding yet another layer of sentiment to the project.
Drew couldn’t help but gush over the movie, saying, “I still — I quote that film every day.”
Joining the conversation, Severance star Adam Scott chimed in, asking if the nickname “Benjamin Rabbit” really came from the film. Ben confirmed it, laughing along with Drew at the memory.
Though Ben has shifted his focus behind the camera in recent years, directing and producing Severance, he shared his desire to return to directing movies. “It’s funny I feel like I’ve been sort of I’ve been hiding out a little bit in non-comedies as a director and actor because I think comedies are harder,” he admitted, adding, “It’s challenging because when you make a comedy people expect to laugh, and if you don’t, a very measurable goal and if you don’t hit it . . . There’s nothing more fun though, as I’m sure you know, than sitting in the audience of like at a movie theater watching a comedy.”
As for Severance, the gripping workplace thriller continues to captivate audiences, with new episodes dropping Thursdays on Apple TV+.
