Original subtitles

[whimsical music]

Downloaded from YTS.MX

[static]

[wind rushes]

Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX

[crowd cheering]

- [Jude Law] He's a hard worker,

drives you hard and wants to get

the absolute max out of every moment.

Never settles, but is incredibly inventive

and full of fantastic stories.

And he's a sweetheart.

I'm so full of respect and admiration for him.

[machinery clanks]

- [Narrator] When we think of a prolific

yet tumultuous career in Hollywood,

a name stands out amongst the crowd.

In a roller coaster of events.

From stardom, rock bottom, and returning

as one of the most well known actors in the industry,

thanks to his incredible portrayal of his roles

and charismatic demeanor,

from his hardships to his incredible retribution.

This is Robert Downey Jr.

[tense music playing]

- [Crowd Member] Come on Iron Man!

[crowd shouting]

- [Crowd Member] Robert! Robert! Robert!

[crowd chattering and cheering]

- [Security] Everybody on the sidewalk, now.

Everybody on the sidewalk.

[upbeat music playing]

[static buzzing]

- [Interviewer] Now, first of all Robert,

back as Sherlock, back as Ironman.

What is it about those two characters,

the two franchises that kind of just draws you back in?

[television static]

♪ Got that feeling in your bones ♪

♪ Man, I can feel it ♪

[static buzzes]

- [Narrator] Robert was born on the 4th of April, 1965

in Greenwich Village, New York.

His mother, Elsie Downey was an actress,

and his father, Robert Downey Sr.

was an underground, yet fearless, visionary director

who would go to set the standards

for counter cultural comedy in the 1960s and seventies.

- [Interviewer] Did you always feel

like you could let the actors go,

or is that something you came around to?

- Oh, no, no, no. You mean all my whole life?

- [Interviewer] Yeah. - well, a lot of times,

I've worked with non-actors.

- [Interviewer] Right. - And that's interesting too,

because you get what you get, and once in a while,

if you try and force 'em into what conventional acting is,

they don't know what to do, so, that's kind of frustrating.

With these guys, you can kind of arrive and realize an idea

and then ask for another one

and they're more than ready

and then they'll add another one.

And it's just, especially with some of these guys,

I mean, it was just, it was hard to pick,

what to pick in the editing.

It was hard.

- [Narrator] Though his original surname was Elias,

the Downey name came to light

once his father enlisted in the army.

Robert grew up with his sister Allison,

and being surrounded by the arts,

began to pick up an interest in acting and music

from a young age.

[people chatting, flash bulbs exploding]

Robert's close relationship with his father,

Robert Downey Sr.

Landed the young Robert a role

in his father's film "Pound" in 1970.

This would be Robert's first appearance on screen,

playing the role of a sick dog.

[film clicks]

- Why don't we go upstairs, there's no more furniture.

The roof's gone and so's my hair.

That tornado scared me so much, it made my hair disappear.

- Have any hair on your balls?

[audience laughing]

- Well, let's, let's...

- Were you improvising back then or....

because that line seemed a little unorthodox

for a five year old.

- It didn't...

I still, God bless my dad.

- [Jimmy Kimmel] Yeah. [audience laughing]

- Yeah.

- [Interviewer] Is it easier or more difficult

to work for your dad?

- Easier.

- Why?

- Because he's my dad. You know, he knows me so well.

And also I think he genuinely is concerned

with nothing but my wellbeing as an artist with...

in this art form.

So, he has no other...

He has no agenda other than helping me explore myself.

And in this case, the darker,

more twisted aspects of my psyche.

- [Interviewer] Does he push you

harder than other directors,

or do you want to work hard?

- He pushes me easier.

You know, it's like he knows

I'm gonna do, give a thousand percent

and he just kind of sets a stage for me.

Yeah, he expects a lot. You know, he expects a lot.

[whimsical music playing]

- [Narrator] Unfortunately, the young Robert's childhood

was not one of stability.

Drugs surrounded the young boy and his sister

throughout their household.

And by the age of just seven years old, Robert Downey Sr.

Would offer his son a joint of marijuana

and young Robert reciprocated.

[whimsical music continues]

[film winds]

Unfortunately, such experience

would act as a gateway for Robert.

And this would go on to be the greatest regret

his father ever possessed,

knowing almost immediately that it was a terrible decision.

[film clicks]

At the age of 13, Robert's parents would get divorced.

His sister Allison would move

to an alternative boarding school in Vermont.

Whilst Downey Jr. Would move from New York

to Los Angeles, California with his father.

[traffic hums]

[nostalgic music playing]

The idea of school didn't sit well for the young Robert.

With the inspirations from his family still lingering,

in 1982, he dropped out of Santa Monica High

to pursue his dream of a full-time acting career.

Now 18, Robert returned to his roots in New York,

rather than break into Hollywood.

[rain patters]

- [Robert Downey Jr.] On one level, I was just, I'm happy.

I'm happy to be a working actor.

You know, the odds for that going on are pretty slim.

And on the other hand,

I felt like I never really paid that much attention.

And I think part of of that was from wanting to be cavalier

or non-committal.

So, if it all blew up in my face, I could say,

"well, that's not what I really wanted to do anyway."

You know, because at certain point,

this sentence came in my head of, "you can't do that."

You know?

And it seemed to really make sense.

It didn't seem like it was really, you know,

the devil's advocate part of me doing it.

Like it was just the logical part doing it.

So, you know, I mean...

- [Interviewer] You felt like to a point

where you just kind of felt

like running the other way, you mean?

- Sure, sure.

I mean, you put on a tramp outfit, you know,

and like, and go try to, you know,

make it where you just go like, you know,

there aren't, it's not often that it's possible.

- [Narrator] He chose to work on small productions

such as "Firstborn" in 1984.

[nostalgic music continues]

Here Robert would get his first glimpse at romance.

He met Sarah Jessica Parker on set,

and the two were immediately smitten with one another.

They would soon form a loving relationship.

And the couple moved into a house

within only weeks after meeting.

[tense music playing]

Over time his former co-star and lover, Sarah,

would become more and more concerned of Robert's behavior,

as it became apparent a serious drug habit was forming.

Eventually she felt supporting him

was more akin to being a mother than a girlfriend.

[retro music playing]

In 1985, Robert joined the cast for Saturday Night Live,

following the return of host Lorne Michaels.

Alongside Robert,

the new cast would go on to include Dennis Miller,

John Lovett, and Anthony Michael Hall,

all of whom were selected to boost the show's ratings.

[retro music continues playing]

In the same year, Robert had acting breakthroughs

while working on "Tuff Turf" and "Weird Science".

Though not a core member,

he would go on to be associated with the Brat Pack.

A group of young actors predominantly featured

in the John Hughes American teen films.

- Second thing that makes me feel so good that you,

for lack of a better term, you've escaped the clutches

of that so-called Brat Pack thing,

where you're on your own as an actor.

Does that bother you? When you're...

When you're associated with those people and they say,

"oh, Downey, yeah, he's one of those guys who's whatever."

- Well, it's funny, 'cause I've never been in the room

with any of them, you know what I mean?

- Yeah.

- But yeah, I guess, I don't know.

You know, I'm just, you know, whatever.

- Well, you know what I mean?

What I'm saying is that a lot of people think

that you're just associated

with a just a group of young guys...

- Right, sure. - [Interviewer] Who came along

at a certain time and doing that certain kind of movie.

- Yeah.

- [Interviewer] And that's not, I mean, does that bother you

when people do that? When they...

- I don't know.

I think what what bothers me

is when I'm not happy with my work in a film

and everything else is pretty much secondary.

I mean, you know, career wise, I think.

[melancholy music playing] [cameras click]

- [Narrator] He attended the premieres

with Sarah Jessica Parker.

At such time his addiction to drugs and alcohol

only worsened thanks to his rising popularity.

It was starting to become extremely difficult

for her to hold on with his ever-growing wild lifestyle.

[crowd shouting, cameras clicking]

[melancholy music continues playing]

His career was a crescendo

flying higher and higher into stardom.

In 1987, Robert secured his first lead role

in the feature film "The Pickup Artist".

From here, Robert Downey Jr. would make a performance

that would ultimately foreshadow his emotional decline.

He gave an incredibly memorable performance

in "Less Than Zero",

a film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's novel.

The film depicted Robert as Julian,

a rich kid whose life is led astray, derailed,

due to his severe heroin addiction.

He becomes cut off from his family,

and is reduced to a homeless junkie

dying from heart failure, [heartbeat booms]

a role which would unfortunately go on

to closely mirror Robert's own life.

[film clicks] [melancholy music continues]

Robert was surrounded by people who loved and supported him.

Loree Rodkin, his first manager,

would often lie about Robert's sobriety

in order to maintain Downey's career.

Loree begged Robert to attend rehab, which Robert did,

only to return and fire Loree.

Despite being fired,

Loree claimed her attempts were worthwhile, stating,

"Every day I look in the newspaper

and think I'm going to read Robert's obituary."

[camera clicks] [melancholy music continues]

In 1991, Robert's girlfriend of seven years,

Sarah Jessica Parker, broke up with Robert.

It was a long internal struggle,

as she feared without her interference and support,

he would most certainly kill himself.

In order to test his artistic limits

and fight against his ongoing addiction,

Robert would try out for one of the most prestigious roles

of his career,

and with a great deal of expectations and social pressure.

The 26 year old would play Charlie Chaplin

in the 1992 film "Chaplin",

a role he prepared for vigorously,

such as learning how to play violin and tennis left-handed.

His posture and physical demeanor

needed a complete renovation

in order to transform into this much loved individual.

- [Interviewer] But I mean,

that was so real to me in the beginning.

I mean, that feeling that I sensed

that you would live that too,

in the sense talking about depression,

about feeling bad about yourself.

Did you go through periods of that?

- Well, yeah, I had to do this movie.

I was like, you know, it, all of my fear and everything,

came up before doing this film,

because this was like saying, "are you, can you really do

what you've always hoped and wanted to do?"

So it's like, it was like a real judgment day for me.

- [Interviewer] What did you hope and want to do?

- I hoped I could bring him to life on screen

and I wanted to, I wanted to do it for myself

and for Richard who had had the faith

to gimme the opportunity.

- [Interviewer] Well, I mean, that's quite a challenge.

I mean, I remember reading a essay

by Mack Sennett a long time ago,

and he said something like, Charlie Chaplin,

Charlie Chaplin, he's simply the greatest artist

in the history of the world.

- I feel the same way,

but I couldn't think that way when I was doing it.

I had to think of relaxing, and... [laughs]

But luckily there was a...

Richard brought a lot of really smart people on to help me,

people who are really the best at,

and in so many different areas,

that I felt really supported and I felt really, you know,

like as safe as I was going to feel.

- [Narrator] On release, [upbeat music playing]

the feature garnered Robert huge critical success.

He was nominated for the Academy Award for best actor

and won a BAFTA for his outstanding performance.

- Well, first of all, congratulations.

- Thank you.

- [Interviewer] A very well deserved nomination.

- Oh. Thank you.

- [Interviewer] What's the meaning?

What does it mean to you?

The nomination, the part of being in...

- Well, I think it means that Richard Attenborough

really helped craft something, you know,

I guess special enough for people to appreciate it.

And it's about Charlie Chaplin

and watching Charlie Chaplin movies,

and that's why we made it.

- [Interviewer] Now, do you think about winning,

about chances?

What is your attitude towards that?

When you are competing with four other actors?

- No. Well, Chaplin used to say that he...

"That these kind of things implied

that people were in competition with each other."

But rather I think it's just,

you know, I don't, I don't know what to think.

It's my first... It's my first time.

- [Interviewer] Well, hope to see you

in the press pool when you get the award.

- Oh, thank you. - Thank you.

[crowd chatting]

- [Press Member 1] What do you enjoy

about being nominated for an Academy Award?

- Picking out my clothes and, no, what I mean,

the enjoyment is also that you realize,

wow, you know, that I really am in this for the long run

and that I, that, you know, I'm gonna be...

that I intend to do this for a long time

and I intend to get more involved

and hopefully my integrity will flourish.

And, you know, something happened, and again,

it really was, largely,

Richard Attenborough's confidence in me

and his, you know, his body work

helped me have confidence in myself.

- [Press Member 2] What skills did you feel like,

it was like the goal of a lifetime,

as far as you having to put more into this role

than maybe other roles in the past?

- Sure. I think, you know, you say,

"for the last 10 years I was thinking,

why don't I ever get those? Why don't I ever..."

And then I got it, you know,

and then it's a very different thing

was being offered the role from actually doing it. So yeah.

- [Narrator] With this rise in success,

Robert's personal life

was beginning to garner wide public attention.

And soon the media were very aware

of Robert's ongoing struggle with drug use.

- [Interviewer] Perfect...

Is "Only You" the perfect date movie

to see with your lovely wife Deborah?

- Oh, it's one of 'em. Yeah.

- [Narrator] Robert would marry Deborah Falconer

who gave birth to their son, Indio Falconer Downey.

Following this, Robert dug a hole

to dispose of his original costume from "Less Than Zero".

His vow to remove drugs from his life ended in 1994

as Robert returned to cocaine, ecstasy and alcohol.

Though Indio remains a huge part of Robert's life,

Robert was not in the correct state of mind

and his wife Deborah sought to raise their child

despite her husband's health.

In 1995, for the first time in Robert's life,

he would take black tar heroin.

[tense music playing]

- [Robert Downey Jr.] Yeah. Let's talk later.

- [Photographer] Robert, this way please.

- [Press Member] Robert.

[crowd shouting Robert's name and cheering]

[tense music continues playing]

- [Narrator] The young Downey found himself out of control,

referring to himself as a lovable tornado

going from film sets to rehab daily.

Robert would be disappointed with his performances

and slowly began to lose interest

in the quality of his work.

- I felt like I had never really paid that much attention,

and I think part of that was from wanting to be cavalier,

or non-committal.

So, if it all blew up in my face, I could say,

"well, that's not what I really wanted to do anyway,"

you know?

- [Narrator] Robert's wife Deborah left with his son Indio.

Following this, Robert would also lose his home in Malibu.

[traffic humming and sirens blaring]

From 1996, he would be couch surfing

from one sketchy location to another,

his condition worsening each day.

He would go on to get kicked out of an apartment

for losing the key,

and he was pulled over for speeding in his Porsche.

The officers found Robert was completely naked,

hallucinating, and is reported

to have been trying to throw imaginary rats at the officers.

On another occasion, he was discovered,

curled up in a fetal position behind a grungy LA hotel.

For the first time in Robert's life, he was arrested.

Robert was speeding in his black Ford Explorer

along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

The officers discovered 0.42 grams of heroin,

1.49 grams of cocaine and 0.32 grams in crack.

He also had an unloaded 357 Magnum in the car

with four bullets in the glove box.

[sirens whine]

Whilst awaiting trial, he was arrested once more

after wandering into a neighbor's residence in Malibu.

After stripping to his underwear,

he climbed into the empty bed of the neighbor's young child.

In the morning, the neighbor was shocked

to discover Robert curled up in her son's bed,

and after attempting to wake him,

called the police immediately.

[line beeps]

- [Neighbor] And there's a strange man in my child's bed,

- [911 Operator] he's unconscious.

[phone beeps] - [Neighbor] He is.

- He was completely out of it.

[melancholy music playing]

- [Narrator] Robert required immediate resuscitation

by medics at the USC Medical Center.

Judge Lawrence Mira ordered him

to undergo a 24 hour drug rehabilitation program

at the Exodus Recovery Center in Marina del Rey.

It wasn't long before Robert escaped

through the bathroom window and hitchhiked back to his home.

Just four hours later, Robert was recaptured

and jailed for nine days

after which he was supervised in rehab.

On the 11th September, 1996,

Robert Downey Jr. pleaded no contest

to felony drug possession

and misdemeanor charges of possessing a weapon

and driving under the influence.

- [Dr. Manijeh Nikakhtar] I said, "Robert,

I believe that you have bipolar disorder."

He said, "yes, I do have bipolar disorder.

There are period of times that I just,

I'm so hyper and I spend a lot of money.

I'm irritable.

And there are period of times that I go down.

- [Judge] That concludes the proceedings.

- [Dr. Manijeh Nikakhtar] For past several years,

he's just going through the revolving door

of rehab program and being arrested,

which is too sad, such a bright person,

and he's not a criminal, he's a victim of the drugs.

- [Narrator] Robert would remain in rehab

for six more months

where he was required to submit drug tests frequently

and attend daily meetings.

[melancholy music playing]

In December, 1997, Robert was sent

to the LA County Men's Central Jail

after his counselor testified

about a missed drug test in October.

During his jail time, Robert was subjected

to many fights and vicious beatings

reportedly waking up in a pool of his own blood.

He was a target due to his celebrity status

and being a pretty boy.

He received a severe gash

from an argument with three other inmates

and needed to be moved to solitary confinement

for his own safety.

After 113 days, Robert was released

and immediately checked into a 120 day rehab program

where Robert remained on probation.

The judge ruled for a 24 strict rehabilitation center.

- Watch out this, there's a grass thing back here.

- [Lawyer] Excuse me, can we get to court?

Please, that's all we want. Please.

- [Paparazzi] Thank you.

- [Lawyer] Jesus Christ.

- I'm running outta resources

to keep you outta state prison.

I'm gonna incarcerate you

in a way that's very unpleasant for you.

I'm doing that because I believe

if you understand that's where you're going,

maybe it'll save your life.

[melancholy music playing] [film snaps]

- [Narrator] Following this, Robert would then be sent

to the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility

and State Prison in Corcoran, California.

[siren blares]

The climate of the prison was much harsher

than the previous state penitentiary.

Guard towers surrounded the walls

and Charles Manson was located

in the maximum security wing next door.

With such a hostile environment,

Robert was extremely frightened.

The experience at the penitentiary was scarring.

Robert would attempt to survive

by keeping his head down and performing his duties,

often being scolded and harassed by other inmates,

such as when Downey was given death threats

simply for spitting into the sink while brushing his teeth.

- [Oprah] Were you afraid?

- I was, the first day I was kind of scared, yeah.

- [Oprah] Yeah.

- Yeah, and there was a lot of stuff that happened

that doesn't bear mentioning,

because things are violent

and there's certain things that you do

when you enter that system

that you wouldn't care to do on the street,

but, it's part of the deal.

[dramatic music playing]

- [Narrator] Robert struggled.

Not being able to be a father to his son took a mental toll.

It was heartbreaking to tell Indio

the truth about his incarceration

and debated lying to his wife Deborah,

stating he wanted to tell Indio

he was going to Yugoslavia to become a spy

until Deborah eventually made him tell the truth.

[melancholy music playing] [crowd chats, cameras click]

Finally, in the year 2000, Robert was released from prison,

having served his time.

And with a stroke of luck,

was able to sign on to Ally McBeal,

a television drama series.

Soon after, he was arrested in the Palm Springs Hotel

under the influence of Valium and cocaine.

[camera clicks] [static buzzes]

[melancholy music continues playing]

Miraculously, he managed to sign on

for more episodes of Ally McBeal,

despite a possible four year sentence looming over him.

Sadly, his attempted retribution did not come to pass.

As in April, 2001, Robert was found

wandering around Culver City barefoot.

Cocaine was found in his system.

Though he was released,

the Ally McBeal executives fired Downey from the show,

and his wife Deborah, officially divorced.

Though she allowed visitations for Indio,

the stress procured from her ex-husband

was far too difficult to maintain.

Downey pleaded no contest

to the charges which loomed over him.

During this period, California Proposition 36 was passed.

A proposition which assisted in sending drug offenders

to rehab as opposed to jail.

Due to this, Downey was sentenced

to three years of probation and drug rehabilitation.

[melancholy music continues playing]

[nostalgic music playing]

Understanding Robert's situation,

Elton John lent a gracious helping hand,

giving Robert a job lip syncing

for the music video of his song "I Want Love".

The public would often say

"this was the kickstart to Robert's new life."

It was clear that, upon returning to Hollywood,

Robert possessed no financial safety.

His wife had left him and he had no home to return to.

[nostalgic music continues playing]

It was thanks to Mel Gibson,

who put a roof over Robert's head.

Mel would provide him food and shelter.

Gibson gave Robert the opportunity to play a role

intended for Gibson himself in "The Singing Detective".

Not only this, Mel paid for Robert's full insurance bond.

[whimsical music playing]

[crowd muttering]

- [Paparazzi Member] There's Downey, wave, wave, wave.

- [Person In Crowd] Broke my arm, broke my arm.

- [Narrator] Downey made his return

to the mainstream industry with "Gothika".

Joel Silver, the producer,

would refuse to pay Robert 40% of his salary

until the production had wrapped,

as insurance for Robert's past misdemeanors.

On the set of "Gothika", Robert met Susan Nicole Levin,

an executive vice president for Silver Pictures.

The two hit it off

and Susan remained skeptical

that his advances would continue after the production,

but Robert, smitten, would continue to meet with her.

After forming a loving relationship,

Robert proposed to Susan on November 5th,

the night before her 30th birthday.

The two were married in August, 2005,

a Jewish ceremony taking place in Amagansett, New York.

Slowly but surely, Robert was beginning to rise once more,

obtaining huge attention for his leading role

in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang",

a directorial debut of Shane Black,

who would remain a close friend and colleague

until this day.

- Robert was an angel aside from, you know,

standing this close all the time.

So he just stares right in your eye.

He's just looking at you

to gauge that you're on the same page.

He doesn't want condescension or solicitude,

least of all doesn't want your pity.

He wants to do the job.

Tell him what to do, tell him the task.

And like a true pro,

he will execute whatever assignment you give him.

And that's all he wants to do now, is just do the job.

And he's a expert. He's a pro.

And it was a joy to watch.

Kilmer, same way.

We did this movie in 35 days,

that's the proof of the pudding.

If any one of these guys had even been

the least of a nuisance or a trouble,

we could never have finished the movie.

They were just as devoted as can be.

Everybody in this film needed the film.

[whimsical music playing]

- [Narrator] Robert's son Indio would also go on

to star in the film at the age of nine,

which remains his only acting credit.

Robert appeared in "Zodiac", directed by David Fincher.

He played the role

of San Francisco Chronicle journalist Paul Avery,

reporting the Zodiac Killer case.

- [Interviewer] Why was it important to you

to be in this film?

- Well, I thought it'd be fun, believe it or not,

and Fincher's a great filmmaker,

made a great friend in Jake,

and Mark and I have known each other for a while

and Anthony Edwards has always been one of my favorites

and I just thought it'd be a blast.

- Do you think this film will shed light on the case?

- I think anytime you have something

that's historical fiction,

although there's a lot of accuracy in it,

there's nothing definitive.

But I think what it'll do,

is retell a story that was and still is,

in a lot of people's psyche

and the kind of the American unconscious, you know.

- [Interviewer] You think people will leave the theater

being haunted by the story?

- No, if we did our job, they will. [chuckles]

- [Interviewer] Thank you very much.

- [Narrator] From this point on,

it was time for Robert's career to hit high altitudes.

[heart beat thuds]

[tense music playing]

♪ Open your eyes, what can you see around ♪

♪ Wind of the open sky over the siren sound ♪

[camera shutters click]

♪ This is a dream getting the royal scar ♪

♪ Holding the diamond blade throwing it far ♪

♪ Holding your breath still you'll jump if I will ♪

♪ Just sit and wait 'till ♪

[crowd cheering] ♪ See me fly ♪

♪ You know they'll never catch me for it ♪

♪ See me fly ♪

♪ The way I put my finger on it ♪

- [Robert Downey Jr.] Well, as far as I'm concerned,

he's the Frank Sinatra of the Marvel universe.

♪ See me fly ♪

♪ You know they'll never catch me for it ♪

♪ See me fly ♪

♪ The way I put my finger on it ♪

♪ See me fly ♪

♪ You got it ♪

♪ Then try to tell me you got the wrong guy ♪

- [Narrator] Despite the critical success,

Robert had not starred in a blockbuster film.

This all changed the day he took on the role

as Tony Stark in "Ironman".

The film catapulted Robert turning him into a household name

due to the popularity

of the incoming Marvel Cinematic Universe.

- [Robert Downey Jr.] I go to Japan,

I go there, there they go,

"Please had small problem with your passport.

Links up to some incredible criminal."

[table laughs]

I'm like, "yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'm cool."

They were, "you did not make claim of this activity."

I was like, "oh look, I'm tired..."

"How long?" "16 months, blah blah."

"Do you know the name of the first infraction

you had in the 1995?"

I was like, "you know what I...

it's hard for me to...

'cause I've been arrested so many times."

[table laughs]

- [Interviewer] Now, Robert, of course, is brilliant

and lots of people say he was born to play it.

- This is, I think they're role of a lifetime for him.

A lot of people thought Chaplin was,

I happen to think this guy was born to be Tony Stark.

- [Interviewer] And why is that?

- Well, because, you know,

Robert's grown up in the public eye.

Everything good and bad that's happened in his life,

everybody's seen.

And Tony Stark, he's a guy

who's also grown up in the public eye.

He's a genius. Everybody appreciates his talent.

But the fact of the matter is, I think,

I think that Robert Downey Jr., he's an improviser,

so he brings a certain spontaneous, you know,

aspect to the humor. [crowd shouting]

And I think he, he finds the real humanity, in a character

that could otherwise be a two-dimensional comic book figure.

You know.

[press shouting]

- [Journalist 1] Robert... - [Journalist 2] Whoa.

- [Journalist 3] And Robert...

- Dude, I want one of these laminates,

you wanna talk about.. No, it's okay.

- [Narrator] Downey would continue to branch outward.

During his time with Marvel,

he was nominated for the Academy Award

for best supporting actor

thanks to his portrayal of the eccentric,

yet partially controversial method actor Kirk Lazarus.

As the early two thousands passed by,

Robert would continue to remain an inspiration,

to both inspiring actors and recovering addicts.

[whimsical music playing]

- It's easy to embrace hopelessness.

- Do you still get urges to do drugs?

- I have not even an inkling of a desire.

It's not that difficult

to overcome these seemingly ghastly problems, you just...

- [Oprah] You are saying that it's not that difficult?

- No, what's hard is to decide.

And to say, "you know, it's not, I don't want to be..."

- [Oprah] Oh, that's big. That's big.

- [Press Member] Robert,

according to the press release here,

it says Robert Downey Jr.

brings the legendary detective to life

as he's never been portrayed before.

What exactly have you got planned?

- You mean in how I'm gonna portray him?

- [Press Member] Yes.

- Well, I guess, clearly,

I'm gonna do it better than it's ever been done.

[group laughs]

- [Narrator] He starred as the titular character

in Guy Richie's "Sherlock Holmes" in 2009

before donning his Iron Man suit once again in 2010.

- [Robert Downey Jr.] Joel started my career 25 years ago,

movie called "Weird Science".

[press laughs] And...

- [Joel Silver] That was great, that movie, by the way.

- Yeah. And here we are.

And then I met my wife working for Joel again,

and here we are.

And in case you're unaware,

I had a hell of a summer and it's made me much more viable

to play a elite role than I might have in the past.

And I thought, the idea of Guy,

and the way his directing style

and his strengths with a kind of very stayed, you know,

iconoclastic period idea like this,

was just kind of a no lose situation.

And then having the likes of Mark and Rachel

and Kelly and Mr. Jude Law in the cast,

I just felt like it was the kind of thing

you just can't turn down, and I've been proven right.

We're just so excited about this, and...

[melancholy music playing]

- [Ethan Tremblay] And where's your dad?

- [Peter Highman] No idea. [rain patters]

- [Ethan Tremblay] When's the last time you saw him?

- 1977, he had his bags packed by the front door,

and he picked 'em up,

put 'em in the back of his car and drove away.

Last time I ever saw him.

[Ethan laughing]

- [Ethan Tremblay] So funny!

[Ethan continues laughing uproariously]

Oh my gosh, my dad would never do that. He loved me.

- Well, I think that it's the irreverence

that makes this movie.

And quite honestly,

bachelor party movies have been done too,

but "The Hangover" had a certain kind of irreverence

and a darkness underneath it.

That is what I feel like I bring.

So to me that was, you know, the approach on "Due Date".

[upbeat music playing]

- [Peter Highman] If I miss the birth of my child,

I'm gonna choke you out with your own scarf,

wrap that thing around your neck and choke you out.

- Because honestly,

I'm really fortunate at this point in my career,

I'm not just gonna go be derivative.

And I think that's why Iron Man kind of worked out well,

is we did something a little bit different with that genre.

So we like playing with genres

and we like not trying to improve on them,

but just try to take them in a slightly different direction.

I love movies, so when I go to films,

I expect to not be sold the same soap over and over again.

So I'm just trying to give the same respect to the audience

that I expect as a movie lover.

- [Interviewer] With you filming one-on-one with Robert?

- Yeah, Robert's an intense guy and...

But, but you know, there was a lot of...

There was a lot of laughing and he's a very opinionated guy

and I like that.

I like that, he's, you know, he has a lot of experience

and I don't, so I like to listen to the...

About his experience over and over again.

- [Announcer] That's the other reason...

- [Interviewer 2] Did you feel

that you learned a lot from it?

- Yes, absolutely.

That's the whole thing is that, you know,

Robert and I are not even that different age,

but as far as our work experience in the movies,

where there's a vast difference.

So... - [Announcer] I think

he was a little bit, you know,

- I even got kind of choked up the other day

and told him how much that I appreciate him, you know,

guiding me along on this movie.

I really am very fond of him.

- [Narrator] As partners, not only by love but business,

Robert and his wife Susan decided

to open their own production company called Team Downey,

making their first project "The Judge" in 2012.

Undoubtedly the couple hold the arts in high regard

and continue to provide a platform

for original storytelling.

[nostalgic music playing]

After the release of "The Avengers",

currently the ninth highest grossing film worldwide,

Robert's second son, Exton Downey was born.

His middle name Elias,

in respect of Robert's family lineage and his father.

Sadly, in 2014, Robert's firstborn Indio was arrested

for the possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

He agreed to go on a rehabilitation program

after being pulled over by the police.

Robert, after his own life experience,

chose to support Indio throughout the ordeal,

ensuring his child didn't take the same path as he did.

With the support of his family,

Indio passed his rehab without flaw.

Directed by his parents to follow his own path

and remain mindful along the way.

No doubt the past would always haunt Robert

and dealing with the media would remain a hardship.

- I took turns doing it and it was wonderful.

By the end I was making the baby do...

I had more talcum up my nose,

more powder up my nose than Robert Downey Jr.

[interviewer laughs]

- [Krishnan Guru-Murthy] But he's becoming

a much more likable character as well, isn't he?

A better man?

- Yeah, he's becoming a better guy.

- [Krishnan Guru-Murthy] I, you know,

in a way that you are as well, I suppose.

- Sure.

- [Krishnan Guru-Murthy] I mean, what I'd really like to...

I'd really like to ask you about a quote

you gave to the New York Times

and I don't wanna pry,

so if you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine.

But what you said to the New York Times once was,

it was about, it was after your incarceration,

and you said "you can't go from a $2,000 a night hotel suite

to a penitentiary and understand it and come out a liberal."

And I just wondered what you meant by that.

- Things that you said five, seven years ago,

or things you said in an interview

that made sense to you at the time.

I could pick that...

I could pick that apart for two hours

and be no closer to the truth

than I'd be giving you some half-assed answer right now.

I couldn't even really tell you what a liberal is.

So therein lies the answer to your question.

- Does that mean you're not a liberal

or that you came out of prison not being a liberal?

- Are we promoting a movie?

I'm certainly not gonna backpedal on anything I've said,

but, I wouldn't say actually,

I wouldn't say I'm a Republican or a liberal or a Democrat.

I think when I was talking to the person

who was doing the interview that day,

and that just happened to be my opinion.

- You say we're promoting an interview.

I mean, I'm promoting the movie.

I mean obviously you're doing

a promotional round of interviews

and that's why we're talking about the movie.

But we also would like to talk a little bit about you

and I dunno how, how comfortable you are, you know,

talking about yourself at the moment.

- You have as much time as anyone else will.

- Yeah. Well, okay,

well then let me just ask you a few more questions

and you can answer them if you want to

and not if you don't want to, I mean...

- Foot's starting to jump a little bit.

You better get to your next question.

- The reason I'm asking about the past,

is that you've talked in other interviews, again,

about your relationship with your father

and the role of all of that in, you know,

the dark periods you entered

and taking drugs and drinking and all of that.

And I just wondered whether, you know,

you think you're free of all of that,

or whether that's still some something.

- I'm sorry, I really don't, what are we doing?

- [Krishnan Guru-Murthy] I, well I'm just asking questions.

That's all - Right.

- [Staff Member] Yeah, okay. - Bye.

- [Staff Member] Thank you. Thank you guys.

- I'm sorry, I...

- Set your mic. - It's okay.

- Yeah, you're alright.

- Thank you. - Yeah.

- Do you, you seem okay,

it's just getting a little Diane Sawyer.

- No, no, look, I dot wanna do that.

- [Staff Member] Thank you.

- Fine.

- [Interviewer] I was interviewing Jake Gyllenhal

a couple weeks ago.

You were about 10 feet away.

- Oh yeah.

- And we were talking about "Zodiac"

and I was asking him about the choices.

We were talking about the choices that you make,

you make such wonderful choices now.

Do you think that your 20 years through the...

The last 20 years have really helped you,

you know, decide what...

- Well, I mean, if...

Think if it's a bit of a haystack anyway.

Some people really grab the needle right off the bat.

I'm kind of like the last stock in the hay stack.

I'm like, well it's not that. And then there's me.

So I've had a lot of opportunity to make mistakes.

- [Interviewer] I don't think you made many,

especially lately.

I just saw "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang".

- God, you're right. I don't even know what to say.

I gotta change my opinion on then don't I?

- [Interviewer] Every time. Man.

[crowd chattering]

- [Narrator] Robert would not concern himself

with who he was.

Instead remaining focused on what he can be.

Robert and his wife celebrated the birth of his third child,

Avery Roel Downey, born on November 4th.

The Marvel Universe was a worldwide phenomenon

and Robert took his final bow in 2019

upon the release of "Avengers Endgame".

Today, "Endgame" remains

the second highest grossing film worldwide,

raking in $2.8 billion in lifetime gross,

providing Robert's character Tony Stark with an ending

which made fans around the world shed tears.

- [Interviewer] And, as you said in the press conference,

being back with Robert,

it really happens that after, you know,

like three movies now, you really became close friends.

That's right, no?

- We became really close friends

after the first movie, you know,

and I'm very close with his wife and I love his children.

His son Indio, I love, and his little baby.

Yeah, we're all friends.

They always come

and spend part of the summer with us on Long Island

and we spend a lot of time together.

You know, I'm a person who really believes in like family

and I was raised...

I was raised to believe in the importance of family

and loyalty and love and looking after the people you love.

And you know, that's one of the reasons

Robert is one of my heroes,

because he has so much thrown at him, especially now,

and his values are so good and he's such a family guy

and you know, he's come through so much,

and he's come out as this amazing man

with incredible values and it's really nice to be near that.

- [Narrator] From 2020, Robert chose to adopt a vegan diet

during the promotions of "Doolittle".

In order to combat his own carbon footprint,

he announced the opening of the Footprint Coalition,

an organization tailored to developing advanced technology

to protect the environment,

which still remains active and thriving.

As his business endeavors boomed,

Robert is now seeking to reprise critically acclaimed roles.

He will be featuring in "The Sympathizer"

directed by Park Chan-Wook

and "Oppenheimer" directed by Christopher Nolan.

Two castings fans are incredibly excited to watch

following his massive success in the Marvel franchise.

[whimsical music playing]

In July, 2021, Robert Downey Sr. passed away

after a long battle with Parkinson's disease

at the age of 85.

Robert was incredibly close to his father.

He served as an inspiration into the arts.

And after Robert's struggle with substance abuse,

his overcoming served as a reconnection

to those important in his life.

Robert went above and beyond, paying tribute

to the impact his father had on him,

was "Senior", a documentary

revealing the life, trials and tribulations

of the man he held so dear to his heart.

[cameras clicking, crowd chatting]

- Well, I actually had really good parents

and they were kind of square in a lot of ways,

and they were very highly ideal people

and artists and did their very best.

- The relationship with your dad.

Did he, did you want to get involved in his business

because of him?

- Well, I remember, you know,

him being a writer and a director.

I remember when I was eight years old,

like I was in a movie of his,

but it seemed kind of natural to me.

Like, well this is just what I'm doing.

Daddy's making this and I'm doing it too, you know?

I guess so.

I mean, I really admire my father

and it seemed like he had a really good time

and was really got to communicate.

- [Narrator] He and Susan remain

an inseparable power couple,

residing in New York and Malibu.

Their continued work with Team Downey

has set future projects in motion,

such as the upcoming Sherlock Holmes sequel.

Robert remains in close contact with his children,

attending the premiere of "Senior" with his son Indio.

It is undisputed that Robert will continue

to push his children

in the direction of greatness and passion.

Whatever path they may take.

From a harsh upbringing

to one of the worst downfalls in celebrity history,

Robert Downey Jr. was able

to not only overcome acclaimed critical hurdles,

he was able to overcome himself,

with the support from the ones he loved.

And now he remains skyrocketing upwards, inspiring millions,

all with a hardworking mindset and no lack of charisma.

♪ My mother's face my father's heart ♪

♪ A good day when the fall rains start ♪

♪ A feeling you find no matter how far you've gone ♪

♪ The thing you can't quite put your finger on ♪

♪ Back home ♪

[calming music playing]

♪ Party of six never on time ♪

♪ You won't melt go play outside ♪