Ben Stiller brought daughter Ella along to his latest appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as they toured Southern California colleges, but the 16-year-old’s collegiate future has already been decided, the actor joked: “She is going to Yale on a full football scholarship. And she’s going to major in Photoshop.”
The Escape at Dannemora director, 53, then turned serious as he reflected on the nationwide college admissions scandal in which Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have been charged. “No, it’s a crazy time,” he told host Ellen DeGeneres in the episode, which airs on Friday, March 22. “I mean, look, there’s crazy pressure that the kids go through and the parents go through, but obviously, you gotta draw the line.”
The Zoolander star also revealed that Ella will follow his footsteps and pursue an acting career. She has already appeared in two of her dad’s projects, playing bit parts in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Escape at Dannemora.
“I am happy because she loves it, and she’s very passionate about it and she knows what she wants to do,” Stiller told DeGeneres, 61. “I knew when I was 10, 11 years old that I wanted to direct movies and eventually act too. But it’s a crazy business, as you know, so I just want to support her in it in any way possible.”
“Legally,” he added with a laugh.
Stiller also gave an update on son Quinlin, his other child with estranged wife Christine Taylor. “He’s in New York, and he loves basketball, and he’s, like, a nice, innocent 13-year-old,” the actor said. “I like to believe that. I don’t check his history too often.”
Stiller and Taylor, 47, married in 2000 and announced their separation in 2017.
