Today, we know Robert Downey Jr. as one of the leading men in the entertainment industry. His talent, charm, and on-screen presence are simply unmatchable. However, things weren’t always this way for the actor. His struggles with substance abuse and run-ins with the law filled his path to success with obstacles.
After a long time of trial and error, Robert Downey Jr. got himself a role that would turn his life around. That’s right, Iron Man (2008) turned out to be a good luck charm for the actor. From there, his career reached new heights and ever since then, he hasn’t looked back. However, it wasn’t easy to become the man who would start it all and thus, Robert Downey Jr. found himself in dire need of advice from a man who was familiar with the world of superheroes – Wesley Snipes.
Also Read: Jonathan Majors’ Kang Might be Afraid of One Avenger and It’s Not Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. Tried to Seek Advice
Everyone needs a helping hand and a few words of affirmation here and there and Robert Downey Jr. was no exception. Given the fact that the Marvel Studios weren’t too keen on hiring Downey for Iron Man thanks to his reputation back then, it couldn’t have been easy for him to jump straight into the role. He was nervous, and rightly so. Downey was coming from a rough patch in his life and although he was sober, the responsibility of being the first superhero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a lot.
Downey looked for help and tried to find it in Wesley Snipes who played the superhero/vampire hunter, Blade in the Blade trilogy which made a total of almost $417 million at the box office. Downey and Snipes had previously worked together in One Night Stand and US Marshals, which made Snipes the perfect actor to go for some advice. Unfortunately, the New Jack City actor was unable to be of much help. While Downey did call him, Snipes couldn’t answer the phone, and neither did he return the call. Snipes told The Telegraph,
“And I remember he actually called me, but I didn’t return the phone call at the time. Robert was concerned before Iron Man and was trying to find out what it’s like to play this comic book character, because I had already done Blade. Not to say that… OK, I’ll take all the credit for his success as Iron Man.”
However, Snipes did spare a few kind words for Downey in the interview stating, “He’s an extremely multitalented actor that I respect. I enjoyed working with him.” Snipes also revealed that Downey’s journey was an “inspiration” to him, as well as to others. He stated that what Downey went through just goes on to prove that “you can go through hell and high water, and you can have ups and downs, but there’s always a brighter day. This too shall pass.”
So while Snipes couldn’t offer Downey any advice on how to tackle the role in front of him, it looks like he has the utmost respect for him and everything he overcame. As for Downey, well, let’s just say that advice or no advice, he killed it as Tony Stark!
The Success of the Iron Man Franchise
Since Iron Man was going to be the first stepping stone of the MCU, things were a bit of a gamble with it. Downey once stated that the film was made in such a way that it can be written off in case it failed. In addition to that, he revealed that unlike the MCU today, Iron Man didn’t have “creatively aggressive eyes” on it which made it seem like they were doing an independent film. Here’s what the actor stated during a Q&A session with the Directors Guild of America.
“I find out more every day about how that thing was financed, it was basically ready to be written off if it tanked. And so, it was the perfect thing where there were not a lot of creatively aggressive eyes on us. And by the time they gave it to us, it was like united artists, like the lunatics took over the asylum. And I remember Jeff Bridges too, he was like, ‘Man, we’re doing a $200 million independent movie, man.’”
All the worries subsided when Iron Man actually released. Earning over $585 million at the worldwide box office, the MCU began its journey with a hit. The sequel to the film grossed over $623.9 million and Iron Man 3 became a part of the billion-dollar club as it grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide. Just recently, Iron Man got the honor of being listed on the National Film Registry, a list that flaunts movies that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
Needless to say, Iron Man not only turned Downey’s life around but also gave way to one of the biggest superhero universes out there!
Iron Man is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: The Telegraph
