The actor who reaffirmed Robert Downey Jr’s belief in Hollywood: “On a wildly hot streak”
Robert Downey Jr has had one of the most remarkable rises to global fame of any actor. After taking the world by storm as a young man, issues with substances seemingly derailed his promising career.
However, just when it looked like he was down and out, he picked himself up, got clean, and re-established himself as one of the most in-demand performers of his day. He was Hollywood’s highest-paid actor between 2013 and 2015 and secured his legendary status with a ‘Best Supporting Actor’ win at the Oscars for his role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Arguably, the biggest factor in Downey’s remarkable comeback has been the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In 2008, he made his first appearance as Tony Stark, the arrogant billionaire who would take up the mantle of Iron Man. As the de facto leaders of The Avengers, and therefore the entire franchise, Downey spearheaded the most financially successful film series of all time. He also served as its emotional core and was deemed so important that he was brought back to play Doctor Doom. Not bad for an actor that nobody wanted to cast.
As someone who has witnessed the powers of superhero cinema firsthand, Downey is well-positioned to comment on the other actors who have followed in his armour-plated footsteps. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the star revealed that he, like everyone else on planet Earth, is a big fan of Pedro Pascal.
“Pascal’s slow trajectory to becoming a household name who is on a wildly hot streak kind of reaffirms my faith in our industry,” he said of the moustachioed hunk.
Pascal joined the MCU in 2024, when it was announced he would be playing Reed Richards/Mr Fantastic in the upcoming movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Disbarring a version of the character played by John Krasinski in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he is the first actor to portray a live-action version since Miles Teller in Josh Trank’s Fant4stic. And we all know how that went.
This gig is the latest in a long line of successes for the Chilean-born star. After decades taking the odd bit part here and there, Pascal first rose to prominence as Oberyn ‘The Red Viper’ Martell in Game of Thrones. Since then, he’s led a number of other franchises, most notably The Last of Us and The Mandalorian.
Joining the biggest franchise on the planet is a goal many actors strive towards, but never even come close to achieving. Pascal is aware of this opportunity, but that doesn’t mean he’s not nervous. “I’m more aware of disgruntlement around my casting than anything I’ve ever done,” the 50-year-old revealed, adding some of the criticisms that have been levied against him, “He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave”.
These are all valid points, but thankfully, his colleagues are there to support him at every turn. Especially Downey. “He’s just so immediately generous and inviting,” Pascal said of his stablemate, “You feel like you can be afraid, you can be hungry, you can be ambivalent”.
Downey isn’t officially listed in the First Steps cast, but given Doom’s history with the titular team, many fans expect him to at least have a cameo. He and Pascal are both due to be in Avengers: Doomsday, however, so expect to see plenty more of these two unlikely superstars in the near future.
