Derek Zoolander lands first Vogue cover with Penelope Cruz — and it's ridiculously good-looking
When you’re really, really, really ridiculously good-looking, how can you not land the cover of Vogue? Derek Zoolander — who is portrayed by actor Ben Stiller in the film Zoolander 2 — was given the coveted spot on his first cover on the fashion bible alongside his co-star Penelope Cruz.
The fashionable pair strike a pose on the front of Vogue’s February issue, with the magazine noting the two are "so hot right now!" Derek smizes on the cover of the glossy monthly in Dolce & Gabbana, while giving his best blue steel face.
Photo: Annie Leibovitz for Vogue
When it comes to posing, Ben admitted to Vogue, “It’s hard for me to not do [blue steel] when somebody wants to take a picture with me. I just go into it, like a trained dog.”
And as for how the iconic face originated, he said, “That look came out of me in the mirror at home, when I brush my hair or whatever.” The 50-year-old actor added, “I guess with the selfie culture, it’s just a natural extension. Did I have any idea that it would live on? No.”
For his big Vogue debut, which was shot by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, VH1’s three-time Male Model of the Year received a little help from some fellow supermodels — Gigi Hadid, Jourdan Dunn and Joan Smalls. Ben first portrayed the male model back in 2001, when he starred in the original film, which poked fun at the fashion industry.
Gigi Hadid, Jourdan Dunn, Derek Zoolander and Joan Smalls Photo: Annie Leibovitz for Vogue
New to the world of Zoolander, but certainly not the world of fashion is Penelope Cruz. The Spanish fashionista said, “It’s refreshing to see powerful people in the [fashion] industry laughing at it.” Designer Alexander Wang agreed with the actress. He said, “People in fashion take themselves way too seriously most of the time. That’s what they got right.”
When it came time for Penelope to sign on to the sequel, she told Ben “count on me.” The mom-of-two had already seen the original film “four or five” times and wanted to star in an English comedy. She explained, “I’ve done comedy in Spain, in my own language, but I’ve always said I want to do more comedies in English. I do all these intense dramas, and all my characters are always suffering. For many reasons I need to once in a while do a crazy comedy.”
Zoolander, which featured cameos by Tom Ford, Victoria Beckham, Natalie Portman, Paris Hilton and the late David Bowie in the first film, will also star some familiar faces in the upcoming sequel. Joining Vogue's cover stars in the second installment are Kristen Wiig, Benedict Cumberbatch, Justin Bieber and Marc Jacobs. “We didn’t get Karl Lagerfeld,” Ben said. “I would have liked to get Karl. I came close.”
He added, “[Karl's] iconic. It breaks my heart. Maybe if we ever do another...”
WATCH DEREK & HANSEL WITH VOGUE'S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ANNA WINTOUR