Robert Downey Jr. has starred in multiple acclaimed and hit movies in his long career. But it can’t be denied that to this day, he is globally recognized for playing Iron Man. Many fans of the MCU will know that the first Iron Man film began the actor’s redemption arc after his long struggle with addiction. It’s well-known that the Marvel bosses initially didn’t want to do anything with Downey Jr. due to his poor reputation.
But director Jon Favreau convinced the higher-ups to give the star a shot. In such a situation, one would think that Downey Jr. would have done everything possible to hold onto that career-changing role. But he instead opted to act in a film (after starring in Iron Man) that could have tanked his reputation again.
Robert Downey Jr. Opted To Star In A Film That Could Have Endangered His MCU Tenure
In an interview with LA Times, Robert Downey Jr. talked about his nerves about doing Tropic Thunder (2008), a satirical action comedy that got the actor his second Oscar nomination after Chaplin. The Iron Man star said that he had signed up to star in Tropic Thunder first but Iron Man ended up happening before that. So after the success of the Marvel film, he was afraid to play a black soldier in Ben Stiller’s satirical movie since he thought that it would kill his slowly recovering career.
He said, “I signed up to do it and then I did Iron Man and I thought, ‘You know, I think I just buried myself. I did a movie that is going to reestablish me here in a little way and now I’m going to squander any goodwill I have.'” But the actor ultimately didn’t have any regrets about starring in it. In fact he exclaimed that it was “the most cathartic thing I had done in ages and one of the happiest times in my life.” But what about Iron Man and Iron Man 2?
Robert Downey Jr. Thanked Marvel For Their Dedication Towards Iron Man
In the LA Times interview, Robert Downey Jr. expressed that he was immensely thankful for Iron Man and Iron Man 2. But he said that the second film in the trilogy could have been better. The actor explained, “The first one changed everything for me and with the second Iron Man there were certain aspects that were dissatisfying and disappointing to me but at least they lit me right.”
Read More: Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man Co-Star Hasn’t Seen $585 Million Movie, Called it ‘Easiest Job Ever’
The Sherlock Holmes actor complimented the Marvel team for creating something remarkable through Iron Man. He said, “[The first one] was a meditation on responsibility and an exploration of how a small group of people can take a two-dimensional idea and, if the winds are right, create something that makes people say, ‘That was my favorite movie of the year.'”
Tony Stark/ Iron Man’s story has come to an end after Avengers: Endgame. But fans hope that Robert Downey Jr. will return to the franchise soon since the MCU is now exploring the multiverse. Whether that happens or not, remains to be seen.
Tropic Thunder is available on HBO Max, and Iron Man is streaming on Disney+.
Source: LA Times
