What would Robert Downey Jr tell his teenage self?
Having experienced one of the most remarkable comebacks in Hollywood history, Robert Downey Jr continues living a fascinating life story that’s thrown both the highest of highs and lowest of lows his way during a lengthy stint in the spotlight.
The star has over 50 years of experience in the industry, having made his feature film debut at the age of just five in his father’s movie Pound before becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, teen heartthrob, and celebrated performer, all of which came before his initial fall from grace.
Downey Jr’s battles against substance addiction had a profoundly negative impact on his career, rendering him virtually unemployable and costing him several high-profile gigs along the way, before his sobriety lit the touchpaper on a second act nobody could have seen coming.
As the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the role of Tony Stark turned him into an A-list megastar, with his exit from the franchise coinciding with some of his best-ever notices. Dolittle may have been an unfortunate misstep along the way, but Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was further proof – if anybody needed reminding – that Downey Jr hardly needs to rely on his signature wisecracking performance to find success.
It’s been a long and winding road to the top, but the star was in a reflective mood when quizzed by Vanity Fair on what he’d say to the teenage version of himself. Instead of touting what he’d go on to accomplish, Downey Jr instead offered that those formative years would be the best it ever got.
“I’ve been thinking about this recently if I could talk back to that 17-year-old who was doing regional theatre in Rochester,” he said. “I would say, ‘Guess what? It’s going to go pretty well’. It’s going to be a lot of ups and downs and I’m not going to tell you the specifics because you’d get too scared, but it turns out in a good place and it will never get better than it is right now. So just appreciate where you are.”
The period he’s referring to came after he dropped out of a Los Angeles high school to return to New York and pursue acting full-time, but before he landed his first credited part in the 1983 comedy Baby It’s You. He’s entirely right saying the young Downey Jr would be terrified were he to be regaled with the full story, but that doesn’t make it any less poignant.
Hugh Jackman said if he met his younger self, he’d convince him not to star in the movie where he had a set of testicles strapped to his face, but Downey Jr opted to be a lot more introspective and thoughtful when dealing with the same subject.
