Marvel Cinematic Universe no doubt features some of the best performances of the Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. The actor has portrayed his Marvel character for over a decade and has been a fan favorite since his debut. While his fans love him a lot as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and are still hoping for his comeback, Downey Jr. is now keen to explore more as an actor instead of playing a single character for another decade.
After concluding his MCU journey, the actor got the offer to work with one of the most renowned filmmakers in Hollywood, Christopher Nolan. Although portraying a historical figure in Oppenheimer was quite challenging, he was glad to work with a different and new character. During a recent interview with the New York Times, the actor revealed his grandfather’s image helped him in doing so.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Grandfather Influenced His Role in Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan’s 2023 biographical thriller drama Oppenheimer features Robert Downey Jr. as former United States Secretary of Commerce, Lewis Strauss. He was also known to serve as the chairman of the country’s Atomic Energy Commission from 1953 to 1958.
While the Iron Man star is known for his energetic, talkative, and charming performances, the Oppenheimer director did not want to feature that side of the actor. Downey Jr. has shared that Nolan advised him to “do it while rendering you devoid of your usual go-to things.”
He further explained,
“It’s the fast-talking, charming, unpredictable, blah, blah, blah, or as my very close friend Josh Richman, a character actor, used to say.”
And he was able to avoid bringing such personality traits after he connected the character to his grandfather, Robert Elias.
During an interview with the New York Times, he explained that Robert Elias was in the US Army and was a self-made guy, and “there’s a cool simile between something he was involved in and how Strauss probably felt about Oppenheimer.” He shared that once he looked into the whole thing, it was easy to portray the competitive resentment between Lewis Strauss and J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer Emerges as Robert Downey Jr.’s Major Success Post-Marvel Era
Robert Downey Jr. has given several hits under the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While he did star in some critically acclaimed and box office hits outside of the MCU over the past decade, his first film in the post-Marvel era was neither a commercial nor a critical hit.
He starred as Dr. John Dolittle in the 2020 fantasy adventure Dolittle. Based on Hugh Lofting’s book The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, the movie follows a physician with the ability to speak with animals on a journey to find the cure for the queen.
Despite being the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2020, it turned out to be a box office bomb, grossing $251 million on a $175 million budget. Critics also described the movie as the “low point of every single career involved.”
As he returned to the silver screen three years later with Oppenheimer, it became his biggest success both commercially and critically. Critics have praised his work in the movie, saying that he delivers a “strong and unexpected performance.” So far, the movie has grossed $650 million at the box office.
Oppenheimer is playing in theatres.
Source: New York Times
