Ben Stiller Dishes on Halloween Costumes Gone Awry

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Ben Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor made quite an impression at their neighborhood Halloween party this year, Ben revealed during a recent appearance on Late Show with David Letterman. The couple dressed up at the urging of their children; 3-year-old Quinlin Dempsey decided that he wanted to sport a pirate costume and asked Ben to do the same, while 6 ½-year-old Ella Olivia and Christine both opted to dress as Fancy Nancy. Explaining to the audience that the children’s literary character consists of a young girl who dresses up like an adult, the 42-year-old actor said that the overall effect on Christine came as somewhat of a surprise.

"Fancy Nancy on an adult makes you look like a hooker. Or at the very least a slut. So I’m there with my wife, and we’re there with the kids…She looks like a hooker, and I look like her pirate pimp."

During a separate appearance on Live with Regis & Kelly, Ben said that several years ago he dressed as Captain Kirk from Star Trek — a costume he loved. "I was hoping [the kids] would want it again," he admitted. Noting that trick-or-treating in Los Angeles is far different than trick-or-treating in New York City, when his family is on the East Coast they enjoy the added benefit of living in the same building as Ben’s parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. "They’re like the Ropers," Ben said.

"They’re great with the kids, they play, they get into characters..for some reason my daughter started calling my dad Mr. Konichi. It sounds like it would be a Japanese name. But he just comes in the room and becomes Mr. Konichi."

Sources: Late Show with David Letterman; Live with Regis & Kelly