Robert Downey Jr’s surprising Christmas single
Although most fans immediately associate Robert Downey Jr with his iconic portrayal of Iron Man, there’s a lot more to his stellar filmography. Ranging from tense thrillers such as David Fincher’s Zodiac to cult comedies such as Tropic Thunder, Downey Jr has worked in a wide variety of genres.
As the son of revered underground filmmaker Robert Downey Sr, Downey Jr was involved in the world of cinema from a very young age. In fact, he made his acting debut at the age of five when he appeared in his father’s 1970 comedy Pound. It revolves around a group of animals at a pound where they wait to be euthanised, featuring Downey Jr as Puppy.
Downey Jr has come a long way since Pound, even though his last feature –Dolittle – was widely panned by critics and audiences. He is about to star in one of the biggest productions of 2023, having been cast in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming World War II drama Oppenheimer.
This year, the actor was also involved in one of the most personal projects of his career. Titled “Sr.” Chris Smith’s documentary about Downey Jr’s father explored the complex relationship between them. Available for streaming on Netflix, the documentary received widespread critical acclaim for its intimate portrait of the legendary director.
In a new interview with AP, Downey Jr said: “It was a way to put something between us in our own relationship and closure. I didn’t know that it would be the quickest way to the heart of things. It’s like a little string you pull at, you know. And it winds up pulling you into a rabbit hole that I kind of needed to go down in order to process and ingest the totality of our relationship.”
The actor added: “I hate to say it, but he was a bit of a snob. Susan and I did a couple Sherlock movies. He was like, ‘Cute.’ I did a bunch of the Marvel stuff and he goes, ‘Uh uh. Yeah, bomb, bomb. Jokes. Funny robots. I get it.’ I went, ‘Hm. Wow. OK.’ I remember that he thought Less Than Zero was good. He thought Chaplin was too episodic. And he really liked that German song I sang when I was 15.”
According to Downey Jr, his father was a fan of his singing, but what did he think of the surprising Christmas single the actor recorded for the popular TV show Ally McBeal? He performed a rendition of ‘White Christmas’ with Vonda Shepard, which has fortunately been uploaded online.
Listen to the single below.
