Traditionally I do not like anything starring Ben Stiller. I don't find him funny and have grown very tired of his silly characters. However, Tropic Thunder looks amazing as he has put together an impressive cast, but according to Michael Cieply's article at the "New York Times" there may be more to the R-rated feature than just Robert Downey Jr. in blackface.

We've all seen the image to the right of Tom Cruise on set wearing a bald cap and a fat suit, but we really didn't know much about his role in the film. Well, that's all cleared up now as Cieply says:

Tom Cruise brought down the house with his surprise portrayal of a bald, hairy-chested, foulmouthed, dirty-dancing movie mogul of the kind who is only too happy to throw an actor to the wolves when his popularity cools.

The comparison, of course, is to Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone who threw Tom out on his ass in 2006. Their spat was rather public, but so was their makeout make-up session.

Word out of an early screening is that Cruise's cameo performance received a "rapturous reaction." Outside of Downey in blackface, as a present-day white Australian trying to get inside the head of an African-American grunt during the Vietnam War, Cruise's role seems to be a major highlight. Of course the screening was for several hundred Hollywood agents, managers, publicists and reporters at the screening on the Paramount lot, which means handjobs and glad handing were also in order.

The article says that when Cruise was approached by Stiller for a part in the film he hand-picked the studio chief role and went through four days of makeup tests in order to get it right.

The cameo was meant to be a surprise, but the photo and now Cieply's article (and mine) have ruined that. However, we can still look forward to seeing it for ourselves come August 15.