Robert Downey Jr picks out “the two most important films” of his career
As the uniquely talented son of filmmaker and actor Robert Downey Sr, Robert Downey Jr broke through into a prolific and celebrated acting career in the 1980s. Downey Jr garnered widespread acclaim during this early period for his performances in popular movies like Less Than Zero, Chaplin and Natural Born Killers.
Downey Jr’s early years had immense promise, but as he approached the mid-1990s, personal struggles, including battles with addiction and legal issues, led to a precipitous decline in his career and public image. Despite these setbacks, the actor managed to turn the bow to calmer tides in the new millennium, this fresh start reaching its pinnacle with Downey Jr’s first outing as Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man.
Downey Jr reached his nadir in 2000 when he was fired from the TV series Ally McBeal amid drug charges. He soon entered a court-ordered rehabilitation programme and has admirably maintained sobriety since 2003.
Initially, his acting career was hampered by the fact that completion bond companies wouldn’t insure him for prospective roles. The tide only turned when peer and friend Mel Gibson paid Downey Jr’s insurance bond for Keith Gordon’s 2003 movie, The Singing Detective.
This act of kindness undoubtedly helped to restore the actor’s reputation and crucially got him back on the big screen. However, Downey Jr sees the 2007 movie The Shaggy Dog as a more resounding turning point in his comeback.
Speaking to The New York Times in 2023, Downey Jr revealed the two most important movies of his entire career. “Honestly, the two most important films I’ve done in the last 25 years are The Shaggy Dog because that was the film that got Disney saying they would insure me.”
Continuing, the actor named the 2020 movie by Stephen Gaghan, Dolittle, in which he portrayed the titular doctor who can converse with animals. “Then the second most important film was Dolittle,” he added, “Because Dolittle was a two-and-a-half-year wound of squandered opportunity.”
Despite initial reservations, Downey Jr appears relieved that he entered the Dolittle franchise. “I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in Dolittle,” he explained. “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution.”
Watch the trailer for Dolittle below.
