There’s something about family.
And when it comes to working with his kids, Ben Stiller—who shares daughter Ella, 22, and son Quinlin, 19, with wife Christine Taylor—is all for it, his answer being a resounding “definitely.”
“Both my kids are actors and not really kids anymore,” he told E! News in an exclusive interview. “And they're both really good, so it'd be fun to work with them. I have done a couple of little things with them, but I'd love to. It'd be really fun.”
He continued, “I think eventually they'll probably be directing and producing stuff that I'll be asking them to cast me in. That's how it goes.” (For more with Ben, tune into E! News tonight, Nov. 26 at 11 p.m.)
And in fact, while both kids make the rare red carpet appearances with their parents, Ella is one step closer to following in her mom and dad’s footsteps after graduating from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City with an acting degree in May.
“Yesterday I got my BFA in Acting from Juilliard," Ella wrote on her Instagram at the time. "I couldn't be happier to be done or prouder to have survived or more grateful to my family for the unwavering support that got me there and through. I have a degree in playing pretend!!! Yay!!!"
She also included a nod to Taylor Swift’s “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me” in the caption, writing, “YOU WOULDN'T LAST AN HOUR IN THE ASYLUM (@juilliardschool) WHERE THEY RAISED ME (No, like, really)."
And for his part, Ben has been candid in the past about how his daughter’s love for acting manifested at an early age.
"She came out of the womb with a mission, and I was never going to get in her way," the Arrested Development alum told UsWeekly in 2018. "She is a very strong-minded, strong-willed young lady, and she loves it. Obviously she was born into the world, but I think living in New York City, she has been exposed to so many incredible things and shows and so … she has the bug."
But while Ben needs to wait a little longer for a project that allows him to share the screen with Ella and Quinlin, the Night at the Museum alum’s new movie Nutcrackers sees Ben once again stepping into a father-figure role.
In Nutcrackers—directed by David Gordon Green and premiering on Hulu Nov. 29—Ben plays career-oriented Uncle Mike whose world is turned upside down when he needs to travel to rural Ohio to take care of his newly orphaned nephews (played by real-life brothers Atlas Janson, Arlo Janson, Ulysses Janson, and Homer Janson).
For Ben, the film was a worthy return to the big screen.
“I just loved the idea of the movie,” he explained to E!. “I'm a David Gordon Green fan, and when he said he was making this movie based on these four kids that he knew, and he wrote the movie because of these kids and he wanted to shoot it at their farm in Ohio—with a film camera and just go and do it that kind of lean and mean indie style and tell this heartwarming story that wasn't cynical—I knew it would catch up with me.”
The 58-year-old continued, “I just knew that for for me, this movie just felt like a very organic idea. And that David was going to make something that had this independent spirit, but also was really heartwarming and sweet. And we'd have a lot of fun doing it too. So I jumped in.”
And while he’s Uncle Mike onscreen, he’s just “Dad” IRL. For more of Ben’s sweetest moments with his family, keep reading.
— Reporting by Tessa Evora
Reunited
Married since 2000, Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor broke up in 2017. However, they never filed for divorce and, after to quarantining together with their kids Ella and Quinlin during the pandemic, they reconciled for good.
Father-Daughter Dates
Ella has often accompanied her father Ben to events over the years, like when she joined dad at the June 2023 Tribeca Film Festival debut of the short film Let Liv, which her mom Christine stars in. For the outing, the trio coordinated in different black outfits.
Previously, Ella served as her dad's plus-one at the 2022 Emmys, the 2018 premiere of Free Solo, the 2017 premiere of The Meyerowitz Stories and the opening night of the Broadway musical Groundhog Day.
In 2019, the duo went to the 2019 Golden Globes together to support Escape to Dannemora, the Showtime miniseries that earned Ben a nomination for Outstanding Directing.
Working Together
Ben opened up about his experience working with Ella on the set of Escape to Dannemora, telling E! he was "very proud" of his daughter.
"I was very happy it went well," the Zoolander actor said. "She showed me a lot of respect, which I appreciated because with a teenage daughter you want to be like, 'Don't be like how we are at home! Let's pretend we're actually nice to each other!' No, it was really a super positive experience for both of us."
Following In Her Parents' Footsteps
In addition to her small role in Escape to Dannemora, Ella has also made appearances in Hubie Halloween and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.
As Ben told E! in 2019, Ella "seems to have a desire to explore" an acting career.
Christine also spoke about Ella's decision, telling Us Weekly in 2018 that she never "discouraged" her from following in her parents' footsteps.
"She came out of the womb with a mission, and I was never going to get in her way," The Brady Bunch Movie alum explained. "She is a very strong-minded, strong-willed young lady, and she loves it. Obviously she was born into the world, but I think living in New York City, she has been exposed to so many incredible things and shows and so … she has the bug. There's nothing you can do about it, but I did not encourage it."
Calling Out Dad
Ben previously revealed that Ella had a conversation with him about "not being there" during her childhood due to his career.
"She's pretty articulate about it, and sometimes it's stuff that I don't want to hear. It's hard to hear," he explained to Esquire. "Because it's me not being there in the ways that I saw my parents [actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara] not being there. I had always thought, 'Well, I won't do that.'"
While Ben noted that it "didn't feel great" to hear Ella say that, he said it was "important to acknowledge" her feelings: "But then it's that thing that, like, I was trying to navigate my own desire to fulfill the hopes and dreams I had, too."
The Severance director went on to say that Ella and her brother Quinlin were never keeping notes on his absences due to work, they just wanted to spend quality time with their dad.
"What I've learned is that your kids are not keeping score on your career," he explained. "It would be solipsistic to think that my kids actually care about that. They just want a parent who's emotionally present and supportive of them. That's probably what they want more than for me to be going off and pushing the bounds of my creativity."
Not-So-Secret Swiftie
During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Ben revealed Ella had turned him into a major Taylor Swift fan after she made him listen to the singer while he was teaching her how to drive.
"What really helped her was if we just played her favorite artist on the iPhone, and we just played Taylor Swift," he explained. "I was a fan, but I think now I'm a total Swiftie."
Taylor's music "would calm her, and it would calm me," Ben shared before going on to prove just how big of a fan he's become. "We got into the later stuff—Folklore, Evermore. 'Cardigan,' 'Betty' and 'August' all being about the same love triangle but from different points of view. And the characters are named after Ryan Reynolds' and Blake Lively's kids. And then the 'All Too Well' 10-minute Taylor's version from the vault."
Taking a Break
After filming Tropic Thunder with Ben in 2007, Christine chose to take a break from acting to focus on raising their kids.
"It never felt like a big decision for me," Christine said during an appearance on The Morning Call in 2010. "When I had Ella, my whole world changed. I couldn't believe how much love I had for this little creature. I wanted to be a part of it all. I didn't want to miss anything, and with Ben working as much as he does, I felt it was important for one of us to be the stability in the family."
Ben told Parade in 2016 that he felt "very fortunate" that Christine made that decision.
Healthy Family Habits
Ben and Christine decided to adopt a plant-based lifestyle more than a decade ago and inspire their kids to do the same.
"Ben and I make these green drinks in the morning and they look at us like it's from another planet," she told People in 2012. "I joke, 'Just join the party! Don't complain so much, just join us.'"
The Search Party actress went on to detail Ella and Quinlin's differing tastes, saying, "My daughter loves veggies but doesn't love fruit. My son loves fruit and doesn't love veggies."
Still, Christine wasn't giving up hope. "It's that thing where your parents aren't cool for a while and then suddenly they are," she explained. "We just kind of plant the seeds."
Out of the Spotlight
While Ella often attends events with her parents, Quinlin rarely makes public appearances, though he did attend the Project A.L.S. Benefit in 2018 with his family.
"This is his first event. I think he's just having fun with it," Christine told Us Weekly at the time. "Last year, our daughter came to the event for the first time and she encouraged him to come this year, and being able to make it fun and again the extended family that we've built and I think we've seen each other for 20 years and we've all watched our kids grow up."
Supporting Causes Together
Quinlin also attended the Project ALS 25th Anniversary Gala in 2023, and Ben and Christine have shared the causes they are passionate about with their kids.
"For them to come out on a school night," Christine, who sits on the board of directors for the organization, added to Us Weekly in 2018, "have a little fun, dress up, take some pictures, but then learn about an incredible organization, that's huge."