Ben Stiller Thought This Joke Wasn't Believable In the 1998 comedy There’s Something About Mary, one of the film’s most infamous moments hinges on a joke so outrageous that even its star wasn’t convinced audiences would believe it. Ben Stiller, who played the well-meaning but perpetually unlucky Ted, reportedly worried viewers wouldn’t buy that his character wouldn’t immediately notice what had just ended up stuck to his ear. The entire gag depends on Ted’s total obliviousness, and Stiller felt