March 31, 2022
Celebrity Q&A: Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. has had one rollercoaster of a career, from an immensely popular and critical youth to a struggle with drugs and bad run-ins with the law. His life did improve at the same time as he started to take on one of his more prominent roles: Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man.Q: Had you met Chris Evans before he was cast for Captain America?A: I have a vague memory of seeing him and whatever hot girl he was dating across from a dinner with me and Susan Downey. He and his girlfriend invited Susan and I back to their house to get in the Jacuzzi, to tell you the truth.
Q: Were you nervous when they offered Iron Man to you?A: Nervous? I was begging. I was certain it would change my life.
—Variety
Q: What’s the downside of playing a superhero?A: It’s kind of like having a cool TV job. They are always hoping they don’t get picked up for another season; or they are wondering if they’re going to get picked up for another season; or they have done so many seasons, and they are already sick of doing the show, but the show is so big, it’s working well for them.
—Variety
Q: What are your thoughts on addiction?A: Anyone who can’t go five minutes without a cigarette or can’t stop drinking or is strung out on drugs knows that after a while there develops an attachment to the ritual of using it that has little to do with your original motive. The original impetus was to feel its effect, and the effect seemed positive at the time. But if years down the road you are still saying, “Baby, I do it because it makes me happy,” you don’t really mean it.
Q: What is your opinion of cigarettes?A: I started smoking again when I was doing Tropic Thunder. I thought, “I didn’t get sober years ago just to die of heart disease!” It was just a little moment when I saw the Ghost of Christmas Future, and it was not pretty. So, I am off cigarettes again.
—Parade—Will Kosmal, Celebrity Q&A Editor