Robert Downey Jr. has been in Hollywood since the 1980s, and there’s no doubt that the actor has played a plethora of roles during his acting career. While his most iconic role remains Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey Jr. has given his sparkling best in other roles as well.
After all, Downey Jr. has played the titular character in two Sherlock Holmes films as well. Today, every studio wants to work with the 58-year-old actor, but were there any roles he was completely obsessed with? Well, the answer is a resounding yes.
Robert Downey Jr. Reveals Which Roles he was Obsessed with in his Acting Career
Robert Downey Jr. is undoubtedly a gifted actor, and he has proven that in his nearly 100-film career. Anyway, coming back to the topic at hand, Downey Jr. revealed the three roles that he completely obsessed over during his career in an exclusive interview with W Magazine.
There have been three times in my career when I became completely obsessed with the possibility of playing a role. First time was Chaplin. Second time was Tony Stark, in Iron Man. And the third time—I got the trifecta, and you’re lucky if this happens a couple of times—was with Lewis Strauss, for Oppenheimer.
As mentioned in Downey Jr.’s answer, he has felt this feeling of obsession three different times during his career. The first time was when he played the lead role in the 1992 film Chaplin. He even received a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 1993 Academy Awards.
Robert Downey Jr.’s obsession with playing Tony Stark in Iron Man and other MCU movies is completely understandable. After all, he was seemingly born to play the iconic character, and he did a terrific job of bringing it to life.
Lastly, Downey Jr. portrayed Admiral Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 masterpiece Oppenheimer. Although the Iron Man star was in a supporting role in the film, he grabbed the attention of the audience with his amazing acting skills.
Why was Robert Downey Jr. Obsessed with Admiral Lewis Strauss?
Christopher Nolan selected a star-studded cast for Oppenheimer, which included Robert Downey Jr. While Downey Jr. played a side character, he revealed the reason for being obsessed with Admiral Lewis Strauss in the same interview with W Magazine.
I knew a little bit about my character, Admiral Lewis Strauss, because I’m kind of a Cold War enthusiast. I don’t know why I’ve been obsessed with it. I think that, sadly, that period informs where we are at nowadays in the world.
In simple terms, the two-time Oscar nominee got a chance to play a character that he had a lot of knowledge about on the big screen.
Robert Downey Jr.’s obsession paid off, as he received nothing but praise from the audience for his performance. With the 2024 Oscars right around the corner, the Iron Man star is one of the favorites to at least receive a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Academy Awards.
