‘War is not a movie’: Ben Stiller criticises White House for using ‘Tropic Thunder’ clip in military video

Ben Stiller has criticised the White House after a clip from ‘Tropic Thunder’ appeared in a controversial ‘Justice the American way’ video. Among the clips featured were moments from “Top Gun: Maverick”, “Braveheart”, “Transformers”, and “Iron Man 2.” Stiller, who played action star Tugg Speedman in “Tropic Thunder”, quickly responded on X after spotting the film’s inclusion in the montage. “Hey White House, please remove the Tropic Thunder clip,” he wrote.

“We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine. War is not a movie.” The sequence reportedly used a brief shot of Tom Cruise’s character, Less Grossman, dancing at the end of the film, inserted alongside imagery celebrating the strikes. The White House video also featured clips from franchises and series, including “Gladiator”, “John Wick”, “Breaking Bad”, “Superman”, “Deadpool” and the video game “Halo.”