Out of Hollywood to Iron Man
The Iron Man and the rest of the Marvel movies might not exist if it weren't for the successful comeback of Robert Downey Jr. He was already a successful actor in the 1980s and early 1990s, getting nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for the movie Chaplin.
But, unfortunately, his substance abuse problems caught up to him. From 1996 to 2001, he was arrested a few times on various drug charges. He tried rehabbing and relapsed a few times. These problems eventually led to his firing from Ally McBeal and limited his movie roles due to the high risk of casting him. As a result, he did not act in any movies between February 2000 and 2003.
In 2001, Downey rehabbed again and slowly got clean. However, movie studios still did not trust him; it took his friend, Mel Gibson, paying for Downey's insurance bond before he was able to act again in a movie. He has been drug-free since 2003.
Since then, he starred in numerous films and was one of the most significant factors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe taking off.
Quotes
You think it's supposed to get more and more dramatic, it's not a movie. It's real life. For me, I just happened to be in a situation the very last time and I said, "You know what? I don't think I can continue doing this." And I reached out for help and I ran with it, you know? Because you can reach out for help in a half-assed way, and you'll get it, and you won't take advantage of it. You know? It's really not that difficult to overcome these seemingly ghastly problems.
Robert Downey Jr.
A lot of people do get out but don't change. So the thing is to get out and recognize the significance of that aggressive denial of your fate, come through the crucible forged into a stronger metal. Or whatever. But I don't even know if that was my experience.
Robert Downey Jr.
