Christine Taylor Recalls Getting A Comedy Masterclass From Husband Ben Stiller When They Worked With Each Other At ‘Zoolander’

Nov 11, 2026 by apost team

Christine Taylor has spent years working alongside some of Hollywood's funniest talents, but one of her most memorable learning experiences came from sharing a film set with her husband, Ben Stiller.

The actress, 55, recently looked back on her career and her relationship with Stiller during a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of "Three's Company" on Nov. 2. Speaking to PEOPLE, Taylor recalled how the early years of their marriage also brought opportunities to work together and learn from each other professionally.

"Oh my gosh. We had just gotten married," Taylor said. "It was truly a master class for me. I had done some films before, and I'd worked with Ben as a director in a TV pilot, but it was my first time working with Ben on a feature film that he was also starring in."

Taylor and Stiller first met while working on the 1999 television pilot "Heat Vision and Jack." Their relationship developed from there, and the couple married in May 2000. They went on to build a family together, welcoming two children, Ella and Quinlin, while continuing to collaborate on several projects throughout their relationship.

The actress has also built a career of her own, appearing in films and television projects while maintaining a creative partnership with Stiller. Their shared work has become one of the many interesting chapters of a relationship that has lasted more than two decades.

Looking back, Taylor said the experience left her with lessons she carried into her own work. It was an opportunity to observe how experienced comedians approached a scene, transformed into their characters and brought humor to the screen.

And one particular moment from that production has stayed with her long after filming wrapped, offering a glimpse into the kind of comedy magic she witnessed up close.

The film that gave Taylor that early comedy education was "Zoolander," the 2001 comedy directed by and starring Stiller. The movie also starred Owen Wilson as fellow model Hansel, while Taylor played journalist Matilda Jeffries, who gets pulled into Derek's increasingly ridiculous world.

Among the scenes Taylor remembers most fondly is the tea conversation between Derek, Hansel and Matilda. As the two models try to get the journalist to loosen up, she recalls her childhood fascination with seeing models on magazine covers.

"The moment that I really hold onto is the moment when we're having the tea, and Derek and Hansel are talking to Matilda and trying to get her to loosen up a little bit. She talks about growing up and seeing all the models on the covers," Taylor told PEOPLE.

For Taylor, the scene was especially memorable because it let her see Stiller and Wilson's comedic instincts at work.

"I just remember that scene. It's a classic scene of watching the way Ben and Owen worked," she said. "They would be themselves, normal Ben and Owen, and then they would immediately go into these characters that were so different from who they were."

Watching the two actors switch so effortlessly between their real personalities and their exaggerated characters became part of Taylor's own comedy education.

"To me, it was, as always, these lessons in comedy that I just continued to learn from all of the people that I'd worked with over the years, including my husband," she said.

Now, with "Zoolander" celebrating its 25th anniversary, Taylor is still amazed by how the comedy has remained part of pop culture.

"I can't believe it's 25, but it's very exciting. It's 'Zoolander.' It's iconic," she said.

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