When Robert Downey Jr met a director carrying a loaded gun: “I was out of my mind”
Robert Downey Jr is one of Hollywood’s reigning menaces, creating a tepid reputation for himself through equal levels of chaos, controversy and mild talent.
From his overpaid work in the Marvel universe to his roles in Zodiac, Chef and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, in which he successfully manages to play himself in each film, the actor has forged an infamous image for himself in the industry as a loveable rogue. The actor is soon to become the highest-paid actor within the Marvel universe once again for his portrayal of Doctor Doom, with the actor requiring obscene amounts of money to wear a mask.
Regardless, his portrayal of Tony Stark is widely loved and considered one of the most iconic in the superhero genre, with the actor rising to fame as a result of his reckless yet endearing public persona, one that helped him book a role after adding an edge of unexpected danger to one of his auditions.
Downey Jr was known for being a wild card in the film business. His genuinely unpredictable behaviour and contagious charisma added an element of surprise to his performances, leading him to become the face of Marvel. While I would rather die than be associated with such a studio, this has become the hallmark of his career in recent years, despite his early work in independent cinema.
One Night Stand, directed by Mike Figgis in 1997, follows a man named Max Carlile. He has a perfectly pleasant life directing commercials in Los Angeles. However, after he travels to New York to meet a friend, he sleeps with another woman, which taints his picture-perfect life.
Starring Wesley Snipes in the lead role, Downey Jr has a supporting role as Charlie, his close friend who has recently been diagnosed with AIDS. The part is emotionally loaded due to its exploration of this sensitive subject matter, with the director somehow thinking he was right for the role despite the fact that the actor showed up to meet him with a concealed weapon.
When describing this, Downey Jr explained how he was “out of his mind” when he first met the director, saying, “We were at Kate Mantilini’s restaurant in Los Angeles. I was shoeless. Is there a statute of limitations for a concealed weapon? Okay. I had a concealed weapon. At the bar.”
“He was looking at me, and I’ll never forget the look on his face. I was thinking, ‘What? Is he aware of what’s going on?’ He asked me, ‘Why do you have a gun?’ It was, like, sticking out of this little purse,” he continued. “I mean, I was completely in a fantasy. I wasn’t a badass. I thought I was meeting with Figgis for the handsome male lead because I was so debonair. In fact, he was interested in me for the role of the guy dying of AIDS. He gave me the job”.
While this experience might perturb some, Figgis seemed to think it would benefit him to play the character, so he was given the role. The story remains as another bizarre anecdote within Downey Jr’s colourful life. In the filmmaker’s defence, it was hardly the craziest thing the actor did during his most troubled period.
