A comedy film made 15 years ago that earned one of its lead actors an Oscar nomination has been pulled back into the spotlight as a topic for debate over "cancel culture". People who were perhaps too young to have encountered the film when it was released reacted with horror when they learned that Robert Downey Jr had "blacked up" to portray the character Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder.
The film was also criticised for its depiction of disabled people. Ben Stiller’s character Tugg Speedman played a character called Simple Jack in a film within Tropic Thunder, intended as a satirical jibe at actors who chase acclaim by playing disabled roles.
It happened when a Twitter user showed screenshots of people upset with Downey Jr's performance in Tropic Thunder. Back in 2008, the satirical action film was a box office hit, earning Downey Jr an Academy Award nomination. But commentary started after some commentators too young to have known about the film when it was released began airing their opinions over the actor being in "blackface" for most of its 107 minutes.
