Ben Stiller is honouring late actor Gene Hackman.
Stiller, 59, was asked how he’s coping with the news of Hackman’s death, who along with his wife Betsy Arakawa and one of their dogs, was found dead on February 26.
“Literally one of my favorite actors,” the actor, filmmaker, and comedian answered during pre 2025 Oscars red carpet show on Sunday.
“Growing up, the movies that he made – French Connection, Scarecrow, going all the way through Hoosiers, so many films,” People Magazine quoted Stiller.
“For me, he was someone I looked up to as just one of the most authentic, real, charismatic, and honest actors, and what moviemaking was in the ’70s that he represented, that tone. So he was a giant and I was lucky to have a chance to work with him once and he was incredible.”
Stiller and Hackman starred once in the 2001 classic dramedy The Royal Tenenbaums.
Stiller reflected on that experience in an essay he wrote for The New York Times on February 28, admitting that he “didn’t ever feel comfortable” around Hackman.
“His movies were deeply embedded in my consciousness. In a time before social media and constant entertainment news, he was truly intimidating to me,” Stiller wrote in that essay.
“He was one of the four actors on my Mount Rushmore, with Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Dustin Hoffman. When Gene Hackman said something onscreen, you believed him.”
Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths are still under investigation. Two other dogs found in the apartment are now safe.
