If it hadn’t been a comedy, the story of Zoolander could easily have been one of those classic American odysseys. Derek Zoolander, for years the top man in his field, is suddenly deposed by his younger, more up-to-date rival, Hansel (Owen Wilson), a lad who is into health foods and zen. He even has a ‘Soil Room’ in his loft, so that he can, like, stay close to the organic when he’s not in front of the cameras.

“Hansel’s sort of the new breed of male model who’s threatening Derek’s career,” Stiller told Entertainment Weekly. “He’s blonde and he walks around in bare feet and enjoys going swimming with sea monkeys off the coast of India.”

Realising that his life is empty, oh so empty, Derek decides to go back to his roots, setting off in his snakeskin suit with his suitcase-on-wheels for the coal mines of New Jersey from whence, believe it or not, he came. But the hand of welcome is not extended: his father (Jon Voight) has always been ashamed of his son’s unmanly profession and sends him packing. Chastened, Derek sets off back to Manhattan for a showdown with Hansel.

Derek sets off home to New Jersey - only to be treated as something less than a prodigal by his macho miner father (Jon Voight, below left).

This - represented by a hilarious catwalk break-dancing competition - seems to signal the beginning of his comeback, and Derek is recruited by eccentric fashion designer Mugatu (Saturday Night Live star Will Ferrell). But he soon comes to realise that the new job is not all it seems. “When Derek has this fall from the top, he’s vulnerable,” chuckles Ferrell, “and my character has a history of brainwashing models to be hit men.”

Mugatu and his minions have reckoned without Derek, however, who shows there’s iron behind the image by teaming up with Hansel to expose the whole corrupt business. “I’m pretty sure there’s more to life than just being really, really good-looking,” he declares, “and I plan on finding out what that is.”

Jon Voight

Hansel, for his part, has long been secretly in awe of his rival, and is happy to tag along, even if he is not the brightest of allies. “Deep down, Hansel really admires Zoolander and looks up to him,” says Wilson, whose blonde locks have grown out to rock-star dimensions for the role. “When we become friends, I let my guard down and say how much I admired his work in the ‘International Male’ catalogue.” Than which there is no finer compliment.

Jerry (with Will Ferrell) who plays Derek’s traditionalist agent, Maury Baulstein.

Preceded by a two-day fashion shoot with top photographer Frank W Ockenfels III for Derek and Hansel’s portfolios - used in mock campaigns for Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger and others, plus a slew of fake covers for well-known magazines like GQ and Rolling Stone - Zoolander was mainly shot on the East Coast around this time last year (production started on September 13), with the climactic scenes of the ‘Derelicte’ fashion show filmed in an abandoned power station in Jersey City, just across the East City from Manhattan. The combination of the eternal glamour of Hollywood with the more recent glitz of the fashion business made the shoot quite fashionable in its own right, and the film contains cameos from the likes of Garry Shandling, David Bowie, Donald Trump, Claudia Schiffer and Tommy Hilfiger.

Stiller (seen below with fellow producer Scott Rudin) also wrote and directed the movie, which has parts for several other Stillers, including dad Jerry (seen top right with Will Ferrell), who plays Derek’s traditionalist agent, Maury Baulstein.

But it’s still going to be accessible to the ordinary moviegoers who like their DKNY labels without considering themselves slaves to fashion, insists Stiller. The character of Zoolander was loosely based on “the Beverly Hills 90210 guys - He’s a Jason Priestley-Luke Perryish guy,” he says, adding: “We have fun with the fashion world in the movie, but in such a silly, cartoonish way, I don’t think anybody could take it personally. My hope was to make Zoolander something you could relate to, even if you know nothing about the fashion world.”