Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Levin first met on the sets of Gothika and they were just two completely different personalities working in the film. Levin produced the Halle Berry-led film for Dark Castle Entertainment, while Downey Jr. was one of the male leads in the film. When they first met each other, there was nothing like ‘love at first sight’ for the couple. Susan Downey revealed that she viewed him more like a professor or someone’s older brother than a husband material.
The couple got married on August 27, 2005, in a Jewish ceremony in New York. They have a son, Exton Elias Downey, and a daughter, Avri Roel. Downey Jr. was earlier married to singer Deborah Falconer and shared a son, Indio Falconer Downey.
Susan Downey Initially Believed Robert Downey Jr. Was Not Husband Material
When Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr. initially met in 2003, they had nothing in common. While Susan Levin was an up-and-coming producer in the movie business, Downey Jr.’s career was in shambles. A major part of his Gothika salary was withheld until the end of production due to his addiction, which he was battling to overcome at that point. Susan considered herself a goody-two-shoes who had never known anyone with drug problems until then.
Susan Downey was a very ambitious woman and quickly ascended to the position of Vice President of Production at Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures and the President of its subsidiary, Dark Castle Entertainment. She told Harper’s Bazaar that she and the Iron Man actor had no sparks when they first met and that she even saw him more like a professor or someone’s older brother. She shared with Harper’s Bazaar:
“I thought he was a brilliant actor, but it didn’t go beyond that. I saw him more like a professor or someone’s older brother.”
However, things changed a few weeks after their first meeting. Susan Downey started working out with the Dolittle actor after the shoot, along with a few others from the movie. Robert Downey Jr. casually asked her out on a dinner date one day and thus began the two-decades-and-running romantic story. It was the first time that Susan thought her film’s leading man was really cute. She shared their first romantic encounter:
“Four of us would work out together after the shoot, and one day, when we were on the treadmills, Robert goes, ‘Levin, you wanna go to dinner?’ and I said, ‘Eh, I’ll grab something to eat,’ so we agreed to go change and meet in the lobby. And as he walked down the stairs toward me, I remember looking up at him and suddenly thinking, He’s really cute.”
The romance quickly bloomed into something more and people often wondered about the unlikely connection between a recovering addict and a clean-cut valedictorian. While her parents may have been skeptical about the relationship, Susan shared that they never said anything to her since they saw how happy their daughter was.
Susan Downey Is The Miracle That Saved Robert Downey Jr.
Susan Downey also shared with Harper’s Bazaar that she never saw the addict in Robert Downey Jr. From the time she saw him, he was a clean and sober professional, who had some fun in his off time. However, there was a time when Susan Downey gave an ultimatum to the Sherlock Holmes actor. She saw his bad side briefly when the film wrapped and demanded that “nothing could happen” again if he wanted to continue the relationship.
It was all that the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang actor needed to completely let go of his addiction. Months into their relationship, Robert Downey Jr. stopped in the middle of the Pacific Coast Highway and threw his drugs in the ocean. Downey Jr. had finally found someone whom he valued so much that he could not just throw away his life. Susan Downey shared:
“I think he saw what we had. There was something magical there, something we couldn’t put our finger on. He always says that we became this third thing when we got together — something that neither of us could have become by ourselves — and I think that’s true.”
Susan Downey is dubbed in Hollywood as the “Miracle That Saved Robert Downey Jr.” and The Avengers actor agrees. After six months of their romance, Downey Jr. gave her an African sapphire-and-diamond ring and asked her to marry him. Susan never doubted the relationship and immediately said yes to the proposal.
The couple later thrived in their career with Susan Downey becoming the President of Team Downey, their production house, and Robert Downey Jr. becoming one of the highest-grossing stars in Hollywood. For his performance in Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer, Downey Jr. is currently nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
