The Untold Truth Of Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. is easily one of Hollywood's most beloved movie stars. With a remarkable career spanning five decades, the actor's undeniable talent and charisma have solidified his place within the pop cultural zeitgeist three times over — no big deal. In the decade following his iconic turn as Charlie Chaplin in 1992's Chaplin, Downey's personal demons infamously played out in the public eye, making him as well known for his notorious lifelong struggle with drug addiction as for his on-screen work. However, his journey toward sobriety led to the comeback of all comebacks. By the late 2000s, Downey relaunched his career with fan-favorite performances as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and as Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie's movie trilogy.

The industry vet and so-called "Godfather" of the MCU has long been hailed as one of the greatest actors of his generation, and he became the third highest-paid actor in 2018. To boot, basically everyone loves working with him. Think you know everything there is to know about this Avengers star? Keep scrolling to find out the untold truth of Robert Downey Jr.

While frequently moving around for his parents' various projects, Robert Downey Jr. learned his craft in a number of major cities. Speaking with Vanity Fair, the actor explained that he studied ballet in London, trained in acting at NYC's Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center, and performed in high school theater productions in Santa Monica, Calif. during this "peripatetic" time of his life. With showbiz running in his blood, Downey eventually dropped out of school altogether to pursue an acting career (via CNN).

However, that doesn't mean success came quickly to the up-and-coming talent, who lived as a struggling artist in the early '80s. "I had a bunch of regular jobs," he said on The Graham Norton Show in 2011. Explaining that he made ends meet by working in sales and restaurants, Downey quipped, "I told all my friends that I was going to be hugely successful and that they should just really keep an eye out for me 'cause I was going places — and that if they needed me, I'd be bussing tables at the restaurant down the street."

Following his failed attempt in TV, Robert Downey Jr. found success on the big screen with notable performances in Rodney Dangerfield's Back to School and Brat Pack movies such as Weird Science and The Pick-up Artist. However, his heartbreaking and nuanced portrayal of drug addict Julian Wells in 1987's Less than Zero is what eventually put him on the map — albeit at great personal cost. The film won Downey critical acclaim from the likes of The New York Times, but the role exacerbated his own lifelong struggle with addiction.

"Until that movie, I took my drugs after work and on the weekends ... That changed on Less Than Zero," Downey told The Guardian in 2003. He added, "The character was an exaggeration of myself. Then things changed and, in some ways, I became an exaggeration of the character. That lasted far longer than it needed to last." The movie star's notorious battle with drug abuse battle would spiral into multiple rehab stints and time in prison. According to Harper's Bazaar, Downey finally kicked the habit for good in July 2003.

During his recovery from addiction, Robert Downey Jr. began studying Eastern philosophy, practicing meditation, and learning Wing Chun Kung Fu, according to The Guardian. These physical and spiritual practices have not only come in handy during fight sequences as both Tony Stark/Iron Man and as Sherlock Holmes, but most, the pursuits offered the embattled actor a renewed outlook on life, as well as a sense of stability while keeping his demons at bay.  

"[Wing Chun] gives you a sense of comfort and self-defense," Downey revealed on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004. "It improves your focus. It just does so many things. It makes you feel you're a part of something you respect." He later told Men's Journal, "This is all about focus. Wing Chun teaches you what to concentrate on, whether you're here or out in the world dealing with problems. It's second nature for me now. I don't even get to the point where there's a problem."

The sky is blue. Water is wet. And Robert Downey Jr. loves Marvel co-star Chris Evans as much as we do. "At the root of it, he has true humility," Downey told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019. He added, "People love to say — and I'll eat it up — that I'm kind of the progenitor of this whole [Avengers] universe. But if you want to talk about it in terms of team building, and you want to talk about it as the most successful creative relay race in the history of cinema, he was the critical leg."

Of course, the feeling is 100 percent mutual. When asked who he'd consider to be his mentor at the 2018 ACE Comic Con, Evans said, "It's low-hanging fruit to say Downey" (via ComicBook.com). He went on to call Downey "irreplaceable" in the MCU, adding, "He's such a wonderful guy and is so talented, so experienced, and so supportive. He really just opens his arms. And it sounds so cheesy, but he makes it a family and none of this would happen without him." We're not crying, you are!

Robert Downey Jr. isn't just a renowned actor, he also has a killer set of pipes. In addition to lending his vocal talents on screen during his turn as Larry Paul on Ally McBeal, this multi-hyphenate has jammed onstage with the likes of Sting and Jamie Foxx, and even released his debut album, The Futurist, in 2004. For his part, Downey had mixed feelings about the latter, which featured eight tracks penned by the man himself and an understated cover of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile." 

"Clearly, I have some hesitation in being an actor who puts out an album. But after years of writing songs, it gradually became more real," Downey told The New York Times. Referencing his past issues, the actor-singer added, "No way would I ever get to express myself musically if I wasn't an actor of ill repute ... So yeah, I'm a little bit uncomfortable about it." Unfortunately, the soulful singer-songwriter's only record was neither a critical nor commercial hit. Peaking at just No. 121 on the Billboard 200 chart, the album received mixed reviews.

The first Iron Man film became the surprise hit of 2008. The superhero flick received a 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, grossed $585 million (via Box Office Mojo), and kicked off what we all know and love as the juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A star was reborn, and as reported by ComicBook.com, the late Marvel co-creator Stan Lee felt Downey was "born to be" Tony Stark. The actor's charismatic public persona has been increasingly compared to his on-screen alter ego. However, there's reason to believe it's simply an act played up to protect himself — at least according to co-star Scarlett Johansson (via Rolling Stone).

Perhaps the self-proclaimed "Mayor of Comic-Con" explained this common misconception best during his 2014 Reddit AMA. "The first Iron Man was essentially wrapping the character around a cooler version of 'me,'" Downey wrote at the time. "As we've gone along, I'm starting to wonder who's playing who." However, he notably added, "Ultimately, I'm real, and he's not. It's kind of important for me to remember that."

With Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel run seemingly coming to an end in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, fans are no doubt wondering what's next for this leading man. As of this writing, he has a number of on-screen projects lined up, including a highly anticipated return to his 19th-century London alter ego in Sherlock Holmes 3, as well as playing the titular role in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle. The actor is also taking a major behind-the-scenes turn through Team Downey, a production company he and wife Susan Downey started in 2010. After kicking things off with The Judge in 2014, they've announced more than 20 upcoming projects, including HBO's limited series remake of Perry Mason (via Deadline).

"I think the older I get, though, the less need I feel to eat up all the oxygen in the room," Downey told CBS News in 2014. However, he's since showed no sign of slowing down. "I have a wide variety of interests," he told Inquirer.net in 2019, adding, "There are certain things I've put on hold for a while that I'm looking forward to getting back to."