Ariana Grande reunited with Ben Stiller for Focker-in-Law. However, the two have a working relationship that goes back years. In a recent interview, Grande revealed that her first encounter with Stiller came when he directed her in an unusual scene in Zoolander 2.
Ariana Grande recalls meeting Ben Stiller when he directed her in an ‘orgy scene’
Ariana Grande reunited with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro while promoting her new film, Focker-in-Law, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Grande reflected on joining the franchise and recalled a funny incident involving Stiller.
Grande said she was honored to be offered the role alongside comedy greats. “I was so honored to be asked,” she told Fallon. She explained that she was overwhelmed by the opportunity after hearing the script from director and writer John Hamburg. “I fell in love with it. And I was just like, ‘How have I earned the right to even read this, let alone join this incredible cast and play on set with the most incredible actors and comedians in the world?’” she recalled.
The conversation then turned to stories about how Grande first met her co-stars. She said she met De Niro on The Tonight Show 11 years ago. “We took a selfie backstage… I was so excited,” she said. She also recalled that her mother was with her at the time.
Her first meeting with Stiller, however, was not quite so conventional. Grande had a cameo in his 2016 comedy Zoolander 2. Stiller, who directed the film, was behind the camera during a memorable scene.
“He was directing me in an orgy scene in Zoolander 2 with a hippo and Susan Sarandon. Yeah. So right off the bat, we had a comfortability,” Grande joked. Stiller agreed, adding, “A connection.”
In Focker-in-Law, Grande plays Olivia Jones, who is dating Henry Focker, the son of Greg and Pam Focker. The film is the fourth installment in the franchise, following Meet the Parents (2000), Meet the Fockers (2004), and Little Fockers (2010).
