Ben Stiller returns to acting with low-budget film after seven-year hiatus he 'never thought' he'd take

Ben Stiller has returned to acting after a seven-year hiatus for a low-budget film that will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this week.

The actor and director, who is known for his comedic roles in films including Zoolander, Meet the Parents, Night at the Museum and their sequels, took an "unintentional" break from acting after trying his hand at directing.

Now he is back, with a comedy-drama that was shot on a shoestring budget at the home of the four children who play his nephews in the film.

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Nutcrackers stars Stiller as Mike, a hotshot Chicago real estate developer who never had time for family until the sudden death of his sister and brother-in-law leaves him the only surviving guardian of his four nephews.

According to Variety, the film was shot on location at the farm where the four boys who star in the film live in Ohio.

The film's director, David Gordon Green, told Variety he came up with the idea after visiting an old film-school friend, the boys' real-life mother, at her farm and meeting her four sons.

Something about their "eclectic life full of art, ballet and running a farm" where the boys are home-schooled and chickens walk in and out of the house sparked an idea.

Pretty soon, everything fell into place to allow Stiller, 58, to take up his first acting role in seven years.

"I never thought I'd take this much time away from acting," Stiller told the outlet. "It wasn't intentional; it was just how things evolved."

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In fact, Stiller was only available to film the movie because last year's actors and writers strikes delayed the second season of Severance, the Apple TV+ show he directs.

Nutcrackers was able to proceed because it was not produced or financed by a studio.

"This movie happened in a zone where it was literally the only time I could have made it," Stiller said. "A few months later, and I couldn't have done it."

Stiller said working with the young untrained actors who play his nephews required special consideration.

"I wanted to have a good relationship with them, because sometimes I have to be a jerk in the movie," he said.

"Especially with a kid who hasn't acted before. You watch them react to something you say and look hurt. First you think, 'That's great for the movie!' And then you're like, 'Gee, I hope that's not damaging.'"

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Stiller, a tennis fan who once jokingly asked Aussie Nick Kyrgios to be his coach, is married to actress Christine Taylor, with whom he shares two children, Ella and Quinlin.

The couple separated in 2017 before reconciling three years later, and have been seen out and about this week at the US Open.

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