How on earth did Benny Hill lead Robert Downey Jr to an Oscar nomination?
In 2024, Robert Downey Jr finally ascended to the very top of the acting pantheon when he won his first Oscar. His performance as scheming government official Lewis Strauss won him the ‘Best Supporting Actor’ prize, much to the delight of anyone who had followed his tempestuous career since the beginning.
This wasn’t the first time his name had been in the running for a major prize, though. That came all the way back in 1993.
Downey’s first Oscar nomination was for the Richard Attenborough biopic Chaplin. The future Marvel frontman beat a number of other rising stars to earn the part of the fabled silent film star. Unfortunately, he lost the race to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman, which many considered to be a make-good for the other, better roles that hadn’t landed Pacino a statuette. Still, his embodiment of the City Lights star caught everyone’s attention and earmarked him as one to watch.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, Downey was reminded of this early high point by watching a clip from the movie. The scene depicts him as Chaplin performing his first routine as the legendary ‘Tramp’ character, complete with all the slapstick trappings you would expect from the master of physical comedy. This got Downey thinking about all the people who helped him perfect his Chaplin impersonation, with one name in particularly springing to mind.
“There was a guy named Johnny Hutch, who’s the guy Benny Hill was always slapping on his bald head,” he said. “Johnny Hutch was one of my movement coaches… My favorite part of that whole sequence is when I’m up on top of the fireplace ledge and I just stick this landing. I’m jumping down six feet. I dare you to try that!”
Prior to his appearance on The Benny Hill Show, Hutch was an acclaimed circus performer. He began working as a tumbler when he was just a teenager, taking a break to train men how to parachute during the Second World War. He had worked with many of the same choreographers who had collaborated with Chaplin at the peak of his powers. His archive included several of the books that the star would have referenced, providing Downey with an invaluable source of inspiration.
Hutch’s contributions to popular culture go far beyond this film. He helped establish Zippo’s Circus, which everyone who grew up in the UK will recognise as the country’s premier touring circus. He also helped design the Teletubbies. No, really. Hutch was consulted on how the terrifying children’s TV characters should move, advising the performers how to walk inside their cumbersome, multi-coloured suits. So there you have it – a direct link between Robert Downey Jr and Tinky Winky. You’re welcome.
Working with Hutch was just one of the many steps Downey took to prepare for the film. He would study the maestro’s films for hours at a time, watching them through a one-way mirror so he could line his face up perfectly with the real thing. All of that hard work paid off in the end, but he must have been disappointed not to have left the ceremony with an Oscar in his hand. If only he’d have pretended to be blind…
