Out of all the characters that he has gotten the chance to play on the big screens, Robert Downey Jr. is perhaps the best-known and the most relatable to his MCU character: Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Yet, even his toughest character in the breathtaking suit got brutally beaten up by the purple-colored Marvel supervillain, Thanos.
However, that isn’t even close to the ruthless slap–and choking that followed–that Downey Jr. faced at the hands of someone way scarier in another one of his films that wasn’t quite a masterpiece as his Marvel ones. This other ‘scarier’ person was none other than the former professional boxer Mike Tyson, who pounced on RDJ in their movie together, Black and White (1999).
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Robert Downey Jr. Faced Misery At The Hands Of Mike Tyson
Robert Downey Jr. may have been brutally slammed by Marvel’s Thanos in two installments from the Avengers film series, but that was nowhere near close to the unscripted slap (and choking and cussing that followed) that he faced at the hands of Mike Tyson.
This happened when the two celebrities were shooting for the 1999 film, Black and White. In the movie, RDJ plays the gay husband of a documentary director who follows white upper-middle-class high schoolers to find out why they have started getting attracted to Black pop culture, while Mike Tyson plays himself.
A little into the film, there’s a scene where Downey’s character, Terry Donager, makes a move on Iron Mike. Unable to take a gay guy hitting on him, the former professional boxer ended up slapping and choking the Iron Man portrayer in real life.
Even though this was completely unscripted, filmmaker James Toback still decided to keep the scene in the film, which is much worse than a non-existent purple-headed supervillain beating Tony Stark up, considering how Robert Downey Jr. got slapped by someone way scarier for real.
Also Read: Iron Man 4 Was Never Possible: Robert Downey Jr Agreed to a Compromise
How Robert Downey Jr. Agreed To Get Bashed By Mike Tyson
While other actors limit the amount of slaps, kicks, and punches that they get on the big screens for their films, Robert Downey Jr. did the complete opposite and agreed to get bashed by a former professional boxer in real life.
Sharing how he felt that ‘interesting people are more interesting right after they have suffered’ referring to how both Tyson and Downey Jr. had only just gotten out of rehab/jail, director James Toback got the duo to star in his film. During an interview with BlackBook (via Live Journal), he revealed:
“I asked Downey what he wanted to play, and he said, ‘Why don’t I play the gay husband of Brooke Shields?’ I said, ‘Good. Why don’t you play the gay husband of Brooke Shields who hits on Mike Tyson?’ It only occurred to Downey at the last minute to ask whether I had told Mike that he was going to hit on him. I said, ‘No.’ Downey said, ‘What if he gets angry?’ I said, ‘I would assume he would.’ He said, ‘How far do you want me to take it?’ I said, ‘Take it until he responds in the extreme.'”
Obviously scared of the consequences considering how Mike Tyson had been a professional boxer before his career took a turn for the worse, Robert Downey Jr. contemplated once again about the situation.
“Downey responded, ‘What if he kills me?’ I said, ‘Well, I haven’t thought about that. I think it’s unlikely—no better than a 5% chance. But, at the rate you’re going, you’re going to end up dying in the parking lot of a motel in Culver City. So what would be better … that or dying like this?’ Downey cracked up and proceeded to provoke Mike at great lengths to smack him, choke him, slam him on the ground, and call him a ‘cum drinker.'”
Just like that, Robert Downey Jr. was sold to getting bashed by a former professional boxing champion in real life!
