Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. Visit Camp Pendleton for Screening of 'Tropic Thunder'

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. Visit Camp Pendleton for Screening of 'Tropic Thunder'

Trio Greeted Troops and Introduced DreamWorks' New Action Comedy

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Actors Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. heloed into Camp Pendleton, loaded into military humvees and treated Marines and sailors to an advance screening of "Tropic Thunder" in partnership with Navy Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR), Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS), DreamWorks Pictures' and the USO. Complete with a combat green carpet, the MCC Base Theater hosted the event on Sunday, August 3rd at 7 p.m. Once at the theater, the trio shook hands with troops, posed for pictures and introduced their new action comedy before hundreds of Marines, sailors and their guests.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080806/LAW538)
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040816/LAM079LOGO)

"We were really excited to show this movie to the military personnel who do so much for our country," says Ben Stiller. "I think they really got a kick out of seeing a bunch of spoiled actors complaining about how hard it is to do a war movie. But seriously, it was really hard. We almost did a boot camp, but then decided on a cast dinner instead."

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in this action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the biggest war film ever. After ballooning costs (and the out of control egos of the pampered cast) threaten to shut down the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast deep into the jungles of Southeast Asia for "increased realism," where they inadvertently encounter real bad guys. "Tropic Thunder" will be released nationwide on August 13th.

Stiller is a prolific actor, director, producer and writer who continues to imprint his unique perspective on film, television and stage. He has been directing, acting and producing films consistently over the last decade, including "Reality Bites," his motion picture directorial debut in 1994, "The Cable Guy" starring Jim Carrey, which he directed in 1996, and "Zoolander," which he co-wrote, directed and produced in 2001 through his production company Red Hour Films. He has also starred in numerous hits, including "Flirting with Disaster," "Meet the Parents" and its sequel "Meet the Fockers," "There's Something About Mary," "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "Starsky & Hutch" and the animated hit "Madagascar," as well as the box office blockbuster "Night at the Museum," which grossed nearly $600 million worldwide. In 1998, Stiller portrayed 'Jerry Stahl' in "Permanent Midnight," the true-life story of a heroin-addicted comedy writer. That same year, he also appeared in "Your Friends and Neighbors" written and directed by Neil LaBute. Stiller's producing credits include "Zoolander," "Starsky & Hutch," "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "The Ruins" and the smash hit "Blades of Glory." Stiller earned an Emmy Award for his writing on the critically acclaimed television series "The Ben Stiller Show," which lasted all of 12 episodes. He also appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning production of "The House of Blue Leaves" by John Guare, and off-Broadway in Neil LaBute's "This is How it Goes" directed by George C. Wolfe. This is Stiller's third USO tour.

Black has appeared in many motion pictures, but it was his scene-stealing performance as John Cusack's sarcastic music store employee in Stephen Frears' acclaimed comedy "High Fidelity" that cemented his place in the hearts of audiences. In 2003, Black proved his box-office draw with a #1 opening for "School of Rock." Black received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. In 2005, Black was seen in Peter Jackson's cinematic blockbuster "King Kong." 2006 saw Black starring in the box-office smash "Nacho Libre," and the ensemble comedy "The Holiday." As the lead singer of the rock-folk comedy group Tenacious D, which he created with friend Kyle Gass, Black most recently starred in the feature film "Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny." Tenacious D's self-titled album was released in 2001 and quickly certified at gold-selling status. Earlier this year, Black voiced the title character in the animated hit "Kung Fu Panda." He recently wrapped "Year One" with Michael Cera. His screen credits also include the Farrelly brothers' "Shallow Hal"; Jake Kasdan's "Orange County;" "Jesus' Son;" "Saving Silverman;" and the Stiller-directed comedy "Cable Guy." He also provided the voice of 'Lenny' in the hit DreamWorks animated "Shark Tale." Black made his feature film debut in Tim Robbins' "Bob Roberts." This is Black's first USO tour.

Downey has evolved into one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. Downey most recently starred in the title role of the international hit movie "Iron Man." He will be seen later this year in the drama "The Soloist" opposite Jamie Foxx. Downey received an Academy Award(R) nomination and won the BAFTA (British Academy Award) for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of "Chaplin." Downey was also seen as the high school principal in "Charlie Bartlett;" in David Fincher's "Zodiac;" in Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly;" and "Fur" opposite Nicole Kidman. In 2005, Downey was in the Academy Award(R)-nominated film "Good Night and Good Luck," directed by George Clooney. He was also seen in the action comedy "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang." In 2003, Downey starred in "The Singing Detective," a remake of the popular BBC hit musical drama and the thriller "Gothika." Downey made his primetime TV debut in 2001 when he joined the cast of the Fox-TV series "Ally McBeal" for which he won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, as well as the SAG Award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Comedy Series. In 2000, Downey co-starred with Michael Douglas and Toby Maguire in "Wonder Boys," and appeared alongside Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy in "Bowfinger." In 1999, he starred in "Black and White," written and directed by James Toback. He also played the villain opposite Annette Bening in "In Dreams." In 1998, Downey co-starred in "U.S. Marshals" and in the critically acclaimed "Two Girls and a Guy." In 1997, Downey was seen in Robert Altman's "The Gingerbread Man," as well as "One Night Stand." Other film credits include "Restoration," "Richard III," "Natural Born Killers," "Short Cuts," "The Last Party," "Soapdish," "Air America," "Chances Are," "True Believer," "Johnny Be Good," "Less Than Zero," "The Pick-up Artist," "Back to School," "Weird Science," "Firstborn" and "Pound," in which he made his feature film debut and which was directed by Robert Downey Sr. On November 23rd, 2004, Robert Downey Jr. released his debut album, "The Futurist," which contains eight original songs and showed off his sultry singing voice. This is Downey's first USO tour.

DreamWorks Pictures Presents A Red Hour Production A Ben Stiller Film "Tropic Thunder" starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Brandon T. Jackson, Bill Hader and Nick Nolte. The film is directed by Ben Stiller from a screenplay by Justin Theroux & Ben Stiller and Etan Cohen. The story is by Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux. The film is produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Ben Stiller and Eric McLeod. The executive producer is Justin Theroux. The director of photography is John Toll, ASC. The production designer is Jeff Mann. The film is edited by Greg Hayden. The costume designer is Marlene Stewart. The music score is by Theodore Shapiro. The music supervisor is George Drakoulias. This film has been rated R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material.

This special movie event was part of a long-standing cooperative relationship among DreamWorks Pictures, the Department of the Navy and the USO. Since 2002, Navy MWR has partnered with DreamWorks, Paramount and the other major movie studios to bring advanced screenings to military bases in the United States and special presentations for our troops assigned overseas, including those stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. To date, almost 700,000 Sailors, Marines and their families have participated in these special screenings and presentations stateside and overseas.

The USO has partnered with all the major movie studios in Hollywood since 1941, ensuring America's men and women serving in uniform have access to the top stars of the day. This screening event is the latest example of top entertainers volunteering their time with the USO to improve life for our troops. This generosity is played out on military bases around the world; last year alone, top celebrity entertainers partnered with the USO to deliver 453 unique entertainment events on 74 tours to the troops wherever they serve. This entertainment complements the USO's other unique morale-boosting programs, such as Operation USO Care Package, Operation Enduring Care and USO Operation Phone Home. Programs and services like these are available at the more than 130 USO centers around the world and also are now available to troops deployed in remote areas via the new 'USO in a Box' and 'USO To Go' programs.

Navy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) consists of more than 50 different activities, including fitness centers, libraries, child development programs, youth activities, golf, bowling, movies, and food and beverage facilities. These programs and facilities support mission readiness, personnel retention, and overall quality of life. With more than 120 locations, Navy MWR programs operate on every Navy installation worldwide and aboard some 280 ships. Navy MWR provides critical support to Sailors and their families, enabling commands to focus on their primary responsibility -- mission accomplishment.

The Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) consists of Food & Hospitality, Semper Fit / Recreation, Retail, Services, Marine and Family Services, and Support Divisions. All of the programs are offered to Active Duty military personnel, Retirees, Family Members, Guests, DOD and NAFI employees. The goal at MCCS is to present programs designed to enhance the "Quality of Life" of the Marine Family by providing quality services and activities.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

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Source: Paramount Pictures

CONTACT: Gail Silverman of Paramount Pictures, +1-323-956-4721,
Gail_Silverman@Paramount.com; or LT. Kenneth Kunze of MCCS, +1-760-725-9386,
Kenneth.kunze@usmc.mil; or Oname Thompson of USO, +1-703-908-6471,
othompson@uso.org

NOTE TO EDITORS: (1) USO photos of the screening will be available upon request. (2) Neither the Department of the Navy nor the United States Marine Corps officially endorse DreamWorks' "Tropic Thunder." However, the Navy, Camp Pendleton and the USO are grateful to DreamWorks for its willingness to provide free, off-duty entertainment to Camp Pendleton's Marines and Sailors.

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