Both Robert Downey Jr. and Iron Man turned into household names after their introduction in the MCU in 2008. Downey Jr. has risen to the ranks of one of the most bankable movie stars after his popularity in the MCU movies. But surprisingly, this is something that the actor never manifested. Rather, there was a time when the Oppenheimer actor was almost ready to reject any superhero role that would have been offered to him.
It can be felt from the Sherlock Holmes actor’s interviews that he never had a fair idea about the future of his career. Robert Downey Jr. himself admitted the fact as he spoke about how he slowly went on to become everything he never thought of.
A young Robert Downey Jr. would have disagreed with his present self
Talking about his younger self in an interview, Robert Downey Jr. admitted that his perspectives had a massive transition with his age. If his words are to be believed, then had he been offered Iron Man at a young age, he would have been heavily confused and eventually rejected it for certain reasons.
Before rising to the ranks, the Tony Stark actor had his fair share of struggles after suffering from drug addiction and being subjected to several legal troubles. During an interview with GQ, the actor shared that had Iron Man been offered to him before 2008, his mind would have been divided. Back then, we have seen some great stars like Christopher Reeve and Michael Keaton as famous superheroes, so that would have been an appealing factor to a younger Downey Jr.
“Well, first of all, back then, the reference would have been Christopher Reeve. And Michael Keaton. Right? So I’d have been somewhere in the middle of either having a judgment on it or saying, All right, cool people are doing it.” he told GQ
On the other hand, it is also to be noted that Iron Man was not a name as popular as Reeve’s Superman or Michael Keaton’s Batman, which might have forced the actor to leave the role behind.
“But I know that I must have read those comics before, or they were in the atmosphere. So what I would have said was, ‘Ugh, really? That’s a second-tier superhero!'”
It can’t be disagreed that both Iron Man and Robert Downey Jr. have played integral parts in each other’s successes. While the actor got his big break after a series of career setbacks, the superhero character rose above the ranks from a B-tier character in the comics to a pop culture icon.
Robert Downey Jr. became everything he swore not to be
It is his superhero action that made Robert Downey Jr. a name familiar to every moviegoer. But it’s surprising how one of the most famous celebrities thought of taking a bullet in his forehead instead of becoming an action star. While speaking to Live! Magazine (via Contact Music) the actor shared how he didn’t want a bit to be an action movie star.
“It’s funny. I used to say that I’d welcome a bullet to the forehead if I ever ended up as a 40-year something, remarried, marketable, big-action movie dad living in a cosy cul-de-sac in suburban L.A. Now I am that guy. It just goes to show that I usually don’t know what’s good for me in life.”
Later, the Chaplin star also shared his distaste for being a leading star in his old age. The 58-year-old doesn’t want his fans to absurdly watch his romance with young girls playing a handsome boyfriend misfit for a person of his age. It can be also seen in his latest outing as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer where the fans were absolutely impressed by his character. Some sources also suggest a potential Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr.
The actor has also addressed his past remarks and wasn’t shy to admit that decisions and life choices are widely affected by the rising popularity of actors. This is the reason why we see several actors including the Tropic Thunder actor himself swaying away from their past comments.
Iron Man is available for streaming on Disney+.
Source: GQ
