Robert Downey Jr. has played a lot of characters on-screen and the stories are pretty interesting to watch. However, the actor’s real-life story isn’t any less of an inspiring story either. Overcoming a long-ongoing battle with substance abuse and becoming a superstar of this caliber is no joke. Robert Downey Jr.’s life is an inspiration to anyone and everyone struggling with any kind of setback in their lives.
While he is now one of the biggest and highest-paid actors of today, the road to success was not an easy one. Owing to his struggle with alcohol and drug abuse, Robert Downey Jr. had to spend some time behind the bars. A few years after he had been released from prison, the actor opened up about how staying behind the bars made him feel safe and secure from the “intruders.”
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Robert Downey Jr. Felt Safe in Prison
It’s not easy opening up about the downfalls of one’s life but Robert Downey Jr. has and we are grateful for that. His transparency has probably helped a lot of people going through some tough times in his life. Between the period of 1996 to 2001, Downey was arrested quite a few times, again, because of problems related to substance abuse. However, at one point in time, the arrests escalated and Downey ended up missing out on court-ordered illegal substance tests which led to him getting sentenced to three years in prison.
Thankfully, Downey was released from prison in just less than a year. Back in 2010, the Dolittle actor talked to Rolling Stone about his time behind bars. According to the actor, he felt absolutely safe in prison because there was no way any kind of “intruders” could cause him to harm there. You might be a bit confused by Downey’s choice of words so to simplify, “intruders” in this context refers to his harmful addictions.
“When the door clicks shut, then you are safe. There is nothing aside from a rogue correctional officer that can do you harm if you have the right cellie. You are actually in the safest place on Earth. Safe from the intruders.”
However, prison isn’t always safe from these intruders. There are definitely ways to sneak in illegal substances. Downey, though, didn’t want to go down that path. In the same interview, he stated that following those impulses would only mean that you’ll be “indebted” to some seriously dangerous people.
Robert Downey Jr. Rises like a Phoenix
Downey was given an ultimatum by Susan Downey in 2003, whom he has been married to since 2005. She told Harper’s Bazaar that it was this ultimatum that pushed the actor into leaving drugs behind for good. Despite being out of jail and staying sober, Downey found it extremely difficult to find work in the entertainment industry because of the reputation that stuck. Actor Mel Gibson had to personally write Downey’s liability insurance which led to him getting a gig in The Singing Detective. From there, things slowly started getting better for the actor.
True success came knocking on his door with Iron Man. While Marvel Studios were initially skeptical about hiring Downey in the lead role, they couldn’t have possibly made a better decision. He went on to become the face of the MCU and even after his character met his end in Avengers: Endgame, his name is still linked to the superhero universe as fans simply cannot get over him, and rightly so!
While people didn’t want to work with him initially, a lot of directors seek him out now. After all, who doesn’t want that level of talent in their film? Downey’s comeback is a true inspiration that proves that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel!
Source: Rolling Stone
