The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring and directed by Ben Stiller, is adapted from James Thurber’s classic short story that first appeared in The New Yorker in 1939. Since then, Walter Mitty – a mild-mannered man who enlivens a mundane day with a series of fantasies – is been synonymous with daydreams and flights of imagination.
Stiller, too, hopes for something a little different for his life: He wants to direct more movies and make films outside of the comedies he’s best known for. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a kind of remake of the 1947 Danny Kaye version, is a big-budget, big-scale shift for the 48-year-old Stiller. It’s his fifth time directing a movie, but his first time helming a film that, while funny, isn’t quite a comedy.
In a recent interview in New York, Ben Stiller shared his aspirations about his upcoming film. When asked about his upcoming movie releasing during the crowded Christmas season, Stiller said: “Honestly, I think I feel the same thing that I feel every time a movie comes out — which is: It’s a lot of pressure and, at same time, it’s really, totally out of my hands.”
In answer to his comfort level about directing and acting at the same time, Stiller shared: “I don’t think you ever get totally comfortable with it. You get into a rhythm with it. But I always feel like every time you start up, it’s always figuring it out.”