Ben Stiller reveals the ‘dark underside’ of Hollywood’s childhood fame

Ben Stiller is opening up about the cost of fame, growing up in his family Hollywood stars It gave him a front-row seat to the “dark underside” of the industry.

He had a frank conversation with him Howard SternThe “Zoolander” star reflected on his complicated childhood as the son of beloved comedy legends Jerry Stiller and Annie Meara.

While his upbringing gave him an inside view of show business, it also gave him a glimpse of the toll fame takes behind closed doors.

“Growing up around it — and we talk about everything (in the movie) with my parents — actually, as a kid, you see the dark underside of it. The stress. It affects relationships,” Stiller told Stern. Upcoming Documentary“Stiller and Mira: Nothing Lost.”

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Ben Stiller reveals the “dark underside” of Hollywood’s childhood fame. (Variety by Gilbert Flores/Getty Images)

“You see it up close as a kid and you still want to go into it.”

Stiller, 59, explained that his parents’ success opened doors, but it also gave him an unfiltered look at the highs and lows of Hollywood life.

His new documentary explores partnership of his parents — both professional and personal — and how their relationship helped define his own sense of humor and ambition.

The “Zoolander” star’s new documentary explores the parents’ comedic partnership and its impact on his own Hollywood career. (Stefanie Keenan/VF25/WireImage for Vanity Fair; Getty Images via NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUuniversal)

Despite seeing the struggles that come with fame, Stiller said he never doubted his call.

“If you’re passionate about it, you do it,” he shared.

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Stiller revealed the “worst decision” he ever made was cutting his daughter, Ella, from his 2013 film “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” which he directed and starred in. (Getty Images)

The actor and filmmaker, known for hits like “Meet the Parents” and “Tropic Thunder,” admits that retracing his parents’ journey through a documentary lens taught him as much about himself as it did about them.

Stiller responded after revealing the “worst decision” he’s ever made Taking out his daughter, Ella of his 2013 film “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, which he directed and starred in.

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Actor Ben Stiller and children Quinlyn Stiller, left, and Ella Stiller attend the Hand and Footprint ceremony in honor of Ben Stiller. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

“I’ve cut you from ‘Secret Life of Walter Mitty.’ It’s probably the worst decision of my life,” the 59-year-old told his 23-year-old daughter, according to People magazine.

Ella Stiller admitted that the decision made sense creatively, saying that where she was supposed to play Mitty’s daughter was “not really Make sense of the film.”

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But for Stiller, the choice carried more weight.

“For me, it goes deeper,” he explained. “It has to do with my own issues and my own obsession or perfectionism with my work.”

His documentary, “Stiller and Mira: Nothing is Lost,” focuses on his parents, a mid-century comedy duo who later became Sitcom regular on “Seinfeld,” “Sex and the City” and “The King of Queens.”