Why Robert Downey Jr hates independent cinema: “Inexperienced and lame”
Robert Downey Jr is Hollywood’s original Marvel sell-out, but in his defence, when he signed on to the first Iron Man movie, no one could have predicted the industry-ravaging juggernaut that the franchise would become. He’s never been apologetic about being the face of cinema’s undoing. If anything, he’s doubled down. Even after the franchise began to crumble and the Avengers wing of it seemed finished, he signed on to play Dr Doom in the next two instalments.
Despite what his multi-billion-dollar success might have you believe, Downey comes from the indie sphere, having gotten his start as a child actor on his father’s sets. Those movies were about as out there as it gets: acid westerns that were made on a shoestring budget by a bunch of drug-addled hippies (and I mean that as a compliment). The young Downey hit mainstream success in his early twenties and came back from a stint in prison and rehab for a comeback worthy of a Hollywood movie, and he’s been on top of the celebrity pyramid ever since.
You might think that this second lease on life would fill a person with the desire to make the best movies possible, but that apparently did not appeal to him. In fact, he’s pretty dismissive about movies that are made for artistic rather than commercial reasons. In a 2015 interview, he said (via Esquire) that while blockbusters could sometimes “suck,” it was the “little movies” that could be the most punishing.
According to the Iron Man star, these movies often run several days behind schedule and require actors to work on days that they’re supposed to be off, such as birthdays and holidays. Sometimes, the higher-ups in the picture will ask the star to pay for craft services and then be told to go to Sundance and sit in a chair and “sell [the film] for six days in a row so that we’ll make 180 bucks when it opens in one theatre.” He went on to disparage the filmmakers behind such movies as “inexperienced and lame” wannabe artists.
This is a pretty condescending and tone deaf way to look at indie productions that are made for the sheer love of cinema. In 2024, Brady Corbet, the director of the major awards contender The Brutalist, revealed that he made “zero dollars” from making one of America’s greatest films of the 21st century. According to him, many other acclaimed indie directors can hardly afford to pay the rent.
When someone like Downey, who earns as much as $20million up-front for turning up on set, complains about having to chip in to the lunch budget for crew members who are just barely scraping by, it’s hard to feel any sympathy whatsoever. Presumably, when he talks about having to work on holidays, the rest of the cast and crew are also having to work overtime, but for a vanishing fraction of the amount.
As if his comments on the perils of indie filmmaking weren’t enough, we can turn to some recollections from David Fincher, who worked with Downey on the film Zodiac. According to the director, the star was so irritated by the demanding schedule that he staged a protest by peeing into mason jars and leaving them on the set “as a form of protest.” Charming, especially for whoever the sorry crew member was who had to clean up after him.
Lest you think he only makes movies for the money, though, consider the fact that he selflessly and valiantly agreed to take a substantial pay cut to make Oppenheimer. And by “substantial” I mean that he took home $4million and an Oscar instead of $20million. May we all aspire to make such altruistic sacrifices in our lives.
