Robert Downey Jr. in Blackface

Robert Downey Jr. portrays a white man Kirk Lazarus, who is an Oscar-winning actor who dyes his skin black in order to play a black character in the most expensive Vietnam War film ever made. Tropic Thunder is the movie, and Ben Stiller wrote, and directed the movie.

Stiller says that he and Downey always stayed focused on the fact that they were skewering insufferable actors, not African-Americans. ”I was trying to push it as far as you can within reality,” Stiller explains. ”I had no idea how people would respond to it.” He recently screened a rough cut of the film and it scored high with African-Americans. He was relieved at the reaction. ”It seems people really embrace it,” he says.

Also appearing in the movie are Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Tom Cruise (in a fat suit), Matthew McConaughey, and Tobey Maguire. Owen Wilson was supposed to appear, but that was right about the time he tried to commit suicide.

Seeing a white guy trying to act black might be as funny as seeing Dave Chapel in white face trying to act white. The difference is, Dave is a comedian, and Robert isn’t, so …