For Alden Ehrenreich, the year 2023 marked a comeback after five long years in the theaters. One of his roles included serving as a Senate Aide to Robert Downey Jr.’s character Lewis Strauss in the blockbuster film, Oppenheimer. Despite having worked with A-list legends before, Ehrenreich had a completely different experience working with the Iron Man actor. The Blue Jasmine actor revealed being impressed with Downey Jr.’s commitment and his kind attitude towards young actors.
Ehrenreich’s starring role as Han Solo in the 2018 film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, was deemed disastrous; however, it did not reflect the actor’s potential. The Supernaturals actor garnered critical acclaim for his role in Hail, Caesar!, a film directed by the Coen brothers.
Alden Ehrenreich Praised Robert Downey Jr.’s Attitude Towards Young Actors Like Him
Alden Ehrenreich had completed filming his critically acclaimed role in Fair Play when he was cast in a smaller yet significant role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Ehrenreich had most of his combination scenes with Robert Downey Jr. in the film. This was not the first time for the Cocaine Bear actor collaborating with big names.
Ehrenreich’s film debut was under the guidance of the legendary director Francis Ford Coppola. He worked with Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine, George Clooney and Josh Brolin in Hail, Caesar!, and Woody Harrelson in Solo. While none of these actors treated him poorly, Ehrenreich revealed that his relationships with these A-listers remained strictly professional.
In a Zoom interview with Vanity Fair, the Tetro actor revealed that these A-list actors usually have limited time for budding actors like him. Once the filming concludes, they immerse themselves in their ‘universe’. So when he was roped in for Oppenheimer, he anticipated a similar relationship with Downey Jr. The Twixt actor told Vanity Fair:
“I’ve had really good experiences working with big names—very few assholes—but the drill typically is a ‘Hi, nice to meet you,’ and you do your work together, and you have some nice chitchat, and then they go into their world with their assistants and they travel into that universe that they live in. So with Robert, I was very much prepared for that to be the case.”
However, Ehrenreich was pleasantly surprised when the Sherlock Holmes actor took him out for dinner on their first meeting. From that point on, Robert Downey Jr. served as an inspiration in all aspects for Ehrenreich. He was impressed with Downey Jr.’s commitment to learning his character’s biography while also entertaining everyone on set.
Robert Downey Jr. Was Also An Inspiration To Tom Holland
It appears that Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland share the same mentor-mentee relationship as their characters, Iron Man and Spider-Man. During the premiere of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Holland’s first MCU movie after Downey Jr.’s epic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame, he revealed his nickname for The Judge actor. Holland shared in a clip shared by Marvel Entertainment:
“He’s The Godfather in my phone. Yeah, he’s like, RDJ The Godfather. Yeah, that’s what I have him as.”
The friendship between the two remained strong even after Downey Jr.’s exit, as Holland disclosed that the Zodiac actor spoke to him before the premiere. Interestingly, Downey Jr. cited Mel Gibson as the actor who lent him a helping hand when he was struggling in the industry due to his addiction issues. He revealed his intention to help as many youngsters as he can, just like what Gibson did for him.
Oppenheimer’s Blu-Ray version is now available for purchase.
