Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr. had a career renaissance when he starred in 2008 as Tony Stark in Iron Man. The film laid the foundations of the MCU and is still considered to be one of the most important superhero films to be made, despite releasing in the same year as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.
However, Iron Man was not the only character Downey Jr. played in 2008. A few months after he appeared in the MCU film, he starred as Kirk Lazarus in Ben Stiller’s satire action film Tropic Thunder. He was even nominated for an Oscar for his role as a method actor who altered his skin color to play a Black man in a film. The role has attracted controversy since its release for its use of Blackface on the star.
Robert Downey Jr.’s ‘Blackface’ Role In Tropic Thunder
Actor Robert Downey Jr. was almost unhirable when he revitalized his career with Iron Man. The actor, who was known for his off-screen legal troubles and public arrest, was reportedly considered a liability for any studio and many blacklisted him. It was reportedly due to director Jon Favreu’s insistence that he was cast as Tony Stark in the MCU.
In the same year, Downey Jr. gave an Oscar-nominated performance as actor Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder. The film was a satirical take on Hollywood’s obsession with real-life war stories and spoofed many tropes in the industry. The film also starred Stiller, Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Tom Cruis, Matthew McConaughey, and more in lead roles.
In the film, Downey Jr.’s Kirk Lazarus is shown as a method actor who goes to extreme lengths to commit to the character, including altering his skin color through surgery to play a Black war hero. The decision was controversial upon release but Ben Stiller mentioned to the New York Times at the time that the studio had no issues with Downey Jr. playing the role,
“There was never a note about the character, ever, in that way. He was always an Irishman, and then when Downey came on, he decided to play him Australian because he said he could improvise better in Australian. I don’t know where that came from.”
Downey Jr. reportedly based the character of Kirk on three existing actors namely, Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Colin Farrell. Day-Lewis is known for his extreme commitment to his role and method of acting throughout the duration of the shoot.
Robert Downey Jr. Defends His Choice To Play Kirk Lazarus
While the performance itself drew accolades, Robert Downey Jr.’s Blackface in Tropic Thunder has been criticized in recent years. The film’s depiction of the disabled has also come under fire, with many reportedly calling the film’s ideology ableist. However, Robert Downey Jr. has defended his stance in the film on different occasions.
Robert Downey Jr. compared his choice to play Kirk to a disclaimer that came at the beginning of the ‘70s sitcom All in the Family. The sitcom had a protagonist, who was a problematic man with outdated views but the point of the show was that they were bigoted and hence, absurd. Downey Jr. likened Kirk’s Blackface to it in the Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast,
“I was looking back at All in the Family, and they had a little disclaimer that they were running at the beginning of the show. People should look it up, exactly what it is, because it is an antidote to this clickbait addiction to grievance that [people seem] to have with everything these days.”
Downey Jr. mentioned that Ben Stiller’s point with the film was to satirize these tropes that existed in Hollywood and how absurd they actually were. He said that the audience today seems to be less understanding of that these days.
Tropic Thunder is currently streaming on Peacock Premium and on Paramount+.
