Exclusive: Ben Stiller Says People Who Do This on an Airplane Drive Him ‘Crazy'

Travel + Leisure

01-07-2025

Perhaps you thought Ben Stiller's biggest airplane pet peeve would be someone saying 'bomb' like his character did in 'Meet the Parents' or maybe a fellow passenger asking him to do his Blue Steel face from 'Zoolander.' But his real airplane pet peeve is something we have all unfortunately experienced at one time or another: someone taking their socks off and going barefoot during the flight. 'I definitely have experienced that a few times, and look, the reality of it is, you just have to shut it out. But yeah, it really drives me crazy.'
Despite a barefooted neighbor or two, Stiller is still in awe of the travel experience after seeing the world as an actor, director, and producer. He remembers the landscapes of Iceland when he was on location for the 2013 film 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' as being particularly incredible. He also recalls traveling to Lagos to scout a film location and just basking in the energy of the Nigerian city. 'It can really take you out of the mindset of when you're in your own world, in terms of giving you perspective on just how many people are living on this planet, living together, and having to interact with each other and make it work. So that always affects me when I go somewhere else, where you see that kind of scope of what's going on.' Scenic mountain road near Seydisfjordur, Iceland, similar to the road Stiller skateboards down in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.What's your go-to drink on an airplane?
I will order a diet soda or something on a plane. I remember back in the old days—I grew up in the 70s and 80s—they'd have a bar, like the whole bar, in my parents' generation.
What's your travel nightmare?
It's really tough, as we all know, when you're traveling in airports because you're at the mercy of these flights changing. My wife [actress Christine Taylor] had a nightmare trying to get back from Hawaii once, where the flight kept on getting canceled, and she was trying to get back to New York. She made friends with this woman from St Louis, and they ended up getting a room together.
What's your go-to flight activity?
I'll bring a book or a movie, and by 30 minutes into either the book or the movie, I fall asleep. I want to have the security of knowing that I have two books, four movies, three shows that I could watch…and I never watch any of it.
Best jet lag tip?
The tip that I've heard that works is a cold plunge. Ice-cold plunge when you get somewhere, and I actually like to do that at my house when I come back from traveling. But honestly, with jet lag, the way that I sort of deal with it is I just pretend it doesn't exist. I just try to power through.
More recently, he swapped far-flung filming locations for action a little closer to home. This spring, Stiller was a fixture at New York Knicks games at Madison Square Garden. Viewers at home and in the stadium loved seeing the lifelong fan sitting in the front row, passionately cheering his team on, usually right next to a very emphatic Timothée Chalamet and a rotation of other celebrity fans. He admits that when he traveled for away games in Detroit and Indianapolis, he didn't get quite the same fanfare that he got at home. Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet react court-side during the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on May 23, 2025.
'It's pretty crazy. I had never really done that before, when you go into the heart of enemy territory. At Madison Square Garden, they are nice enough to give you court seats sometimes, but when I went to Indianapolis, that was not the case,' he told T+L, laughing. 'It was pretty intense. We got booed. But it was really fun, and I would do it again because I love the Knicks, and they had such a great run the last couple of weeks.'
And to purchase those seats in 'enemy territory,' he said he likely used his Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card. Stiller has joined Chase in a campaign to help launch their updated Chase Sapphire Reserve card and introduce the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business card, along with Erin and Sara Foster, David Chang, and Lionel Boyce. The Chase Sapphire Reserve card is already a favorite among frequent travelers, loved for luxe perks like access to over 1,300 airport lounges and annual credits for hotel stays, dining, and entertainment. 'I think at the end of the day, it's an opportunity to really get more bang for your buck, but also, to have experiences that are helpful with traveling,' Stiller said. As the director and producer of Apple TV's hit show Severance, he said he especially loves that the card comes with a complimentary subscription to Apple TV+.