Zoolander No. 2 screenwriter Justin Theroux has defended Benedict Cumberbatch's cameo as non-gender-binary supermodel All.
The actor's star turn, which was featured in the trailer, came under fire for making a "cartoonish mockery" of "androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals" in an online petition.
But Theroux said that full scene reveals that it is male models Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) who are the butt of the joke, not All.
He said: "Now that people are starting to see the film a little bit, it's nice because I think it's a bit like criticising the meal before you've tried it.
![US actor Justin Theroux at the premiere of the film Zoolander No. 2. Photo / AFP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/POP4HRLB52OSQMJ5OHAJJMOG2E.jpg?auth=e6d81a76ecd26ab88005976b2988923ba677942862d7bf665402ec2671a26fab&width=16&height=10&quality=70&smart=true)