The reason why Robert Downey Jr was replaced by Will Ferrell in ‘Melinda and Melinda’
There are few comebacks in modern history quite like that of Robert Downey Jr, who emerged from the scrap heap to become one of the biggest, most popular, and highest-paid stars in the industry, something that seemed impossible just years before his career resurrection.
Christopher Nolan called the actor’s hiring as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Tony Stark one of the most consequential casting calls ever made for a litany of very good reasons, but in the years immediately before Iron Man, Downey Jr’s history of substance abuse issues and legal troubles had made it difficult for him to get hired at all.
Woody Allen wanted him to play a major role in his 2004 comedy Melinda and Melinda, but he was overruled when the producers couldn’t get him insured. “I found the whole thing outrageous,” Allen said to The New York Times via his publicist. “He’s a great talent, he’d just done two movies with no problem and we were crushed that the insurance company was being so difficult.”
Will Ferrell ended up playing Hobie instead, but the catalyst for Downey Jr’s eventual renaissance came through the unlikely combination of Mel Gibson and a terrible psychological horror-tinged thriller. 2003’s The Singing Detective was the star’s first leading role in a movie in four years, with producer Gibson paying the insurance bond to guarantee that there wouldn’t be any issues having him headline the cast.
His next project after that was the interminable Gothika, which saw producer Joel Silver withhold 40% of his salary until after principal photography had been completed as a means to try and keep Downey Jr on the straight and narrow. Beyond that, though, the turgid Halle Berry vehicle was a lifesaver.
While working on the project, Downey Jr met Silver’s assistant Susan Levin, with the pair eventually getting married in 2005 and forming the Team Downey production company that’s developed a wide-ranging portfolio across film and television.
He became increasingly close with Silver as well, which eventually put him into the orbit of Shane Black, who’d worked with the producer several times over the years on the likes of Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout. That eventually segued into Downey Jr being cast in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which then parlayed into the role that reignited his career.
Jon Favreau was so blown away by Downey Jr’s performance in Black’s jet-black Christmastime crime caper that he knew he’d found the perfect person to embody the main character of the in-development Iron Man. Marvel Studios may have taken some convincing, but once the boardroom had been sufficiently won over by his screentest, the resultant film ended up changing the face of cinema with the resurgent star front and centre.
