Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson put 'Zoolander' back in fashion

NEW YORK — Zoolander2 is so hot right now, but the high-fashion satire wasn't always en vogue.

Its predecessor was greeted with a shrug when it opened just two weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, earning OK reviews (64% positive on aggregate site RottenTomatoes.com) and modest box-office returns ($45 million against a $28 million budget).

Since then, the oddball comedy has inspired a passionate following on home video, primarily consisting of Millennials who regurgitate its quotable dialogue ("Mer-man!") and make GIFs of its wackiest gags (orange mocha frappucinos, anyone?).

Get to know the characters and cameos of 'Zoolander 2'

In the 15 years that it has taken for the sequel to hit the big screen (in theaters Friday), Ben Stiller can't recall a specific moment when he realized Zoolander was a phenomenon. Instead, he gradually became aware after meeting fans and seeing hashtags #BlueSteel and #Magnum on social media (referring to signature poses of his vapid character, Derek Zoolander, a male model-turned-unwitting-assassin).

Zoolander and Hansel are on 'SNL' to save the 2016 election('s fashion)

Even now, "people (ask for) a picture and say, 'Hey, can you do Blue Steel?' or 'Hey, can you do Magnum?' " Stiller laughs. "It's so silly, but it is something that I've lived with over the years."

Stiller pondered the prospect of a sequel for more than a decade: hatching a story idea with Nicholas Stoller in 2005, only to revive the project five years later with John Hamburg and Justin Theroux (returning in Zoolander 2 as the dreadlocked Evil DJ). "It just wouldn't go away," says Stiller, who also directed the film and wrangled original co-stars Will Ferrell, back as the villainous designer Mugatu, and Owen Wilson, playing Derek's one-time rival Hansel.

For Wilson, pleasing fans was key. "You want to entertain and satisfy them," he says. "I was always excited to play Hansel again, because of the characters I've played, that was one that people would come up to me about and quote lines, like, 'Who are you tryin' to get crazy with, ese? Don't you know I'm loco?' "

While Zoolander 2 incorporates some familiar jokes — there's a new spin on orange mocha frappucinos, and a remix of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Relax — Stiller "didn't want to just recreate things from the first movie. I wanted to have elements people remembered, but also try and create new things."

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson strut in Paris to announce Zoolander 2

Among those new to the Zoolander universe: Kristen Wiig is unrecognizable as a heavily Botoxed beauty expert, while Penélope Cruz stars as a femme fatale who enlists the help of Derek and Hansel to uncover why pop singers such as Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Usher are being offed. Other all-star cameos include Susan Sarandon, Kiefer Sutherland, Katy Perry, Willie Nelson and Ariana Grande.

One celebrity you won't see again is Donald Trump, who appeared in the first Zoolander long before he became a presidential hopeful.

"See what happens when you agree to do a cameo in Zoolander?" Wilson smiles. "The next thing you know, Justin Bieber is going to be running for president with Ariana Grande as his running mate. In the past, it was Harvard and Yale that were feeders, but who knows? Next it could be Zoolander."

Stiller quips: "It's definitely a qualification for president: being really, ridiculously good looking."