Robert Downey Jr is known worldwide for his portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU. The character has become his most recognizable role and will be the number 1 thing people remember him for. He played the character in multiple films, evolving and showing different shades within him in the process.
Fans have considered his casting to be one of the best in the world of comic book movies. They have even gone on to proclaim that no one could have portrayed the character as well as he did. While fans also associate the character’s behavior with the real-life personality of Downey Jr, the actor has an interesting take on the matter.
Robert Downey Jr Says He is A Different Person Than Tony Stark
There is no doubt that Robert Downey Jr is one of the main centers of attraction and significant forces behind the success of the MCU. His portrayal of Tony Stark brought a certain charm and sarcastic wit that proved to be fresh and interesting. The character also hugely resonated with fans with Downey Jr and Tony Stark becoming synonymous with one another.
While fans have associated certain attributes of the character to the real-life persona of the actor. Downey Jr claims that he does not have the flamboyant and larger-than-life personality of Tony Stark. He also talked about his dark past and how he has worked hard to shut the door on it by doing good work. He told Entertainment Weekly,
“I wonder. [Pause.] I ain’t him, I’ll tell you that flat out. There’s always a bit of a burn-off period when they run out of call sheets for me. I’m just a f—ing actor. I’m just a guy who does have a very interesting past, who does not regret it, who wished to shut the door on it. I think that that translates.”
Downey Jr’s comments are reasonable as actors are supposed to embody the characters they are playing. His portrayal of the character was so believable and interesting that fans started to associate him with Tony Stark. However, as he said, he is just doing his job and is undeniably great at it.
Christopher Nolan Wanted to Show Robert Downey Jr’s Brilliance With Oppenheimer
When Robert Downey Jr got cast in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, there was a lot of anticipation and excitement around what both of them were going to come up with. Downey Jr had not done a serious character-driven role in quite a while and it seems Nolan wanted to remind people of how great an actor Downey Jr is in the film.
In an interview with The LA Times, Nolan revealed that he wanted to show the brilliance of Downey Jr and his ability to disappear into roles. Nolan also called him one of the greatest actors of his generation. He said,
“He’s one of our great actors, and though a generation of kids know what a great movie star he is, they’ve not seen his subtlety and brilliance. I wanted to get him to do something completely different, to lose himself in another human being.
When was the last time we’ve seen that? ‘Chaplin’? Directors are very aware of how talented Downey is, but because of his incredible energy that can punch through the screen, finding the right thing for him is difficult.”
Downey Jr’s performance as Lewis Strauss received overwhelming praise from both critics and audiences. The actor was recently nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards. It is indeed refreshing to see Downey Jr being appreciated and considered for prestigious awards after a long time.
