Robert Downey Jr Unveils Fears That Came With $435M Iron Man Gig

Although Robert Downey Jr. 's acting career began in the 1970s, the role that catapulted him to international fame and overnight superstar status was undoubtedly Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man.

Since then, he has appeared in nine MCU films and remains arguably the face of the entire cinematic universe, even though his character died in Avengers: Endgame. This long-running acting job reportedly earned him about $435 million for all of his performances.

However, such dedication to a role can have a lasting effect on an actor's career, and not always in a positive way.

Apparently, Downey Jr. understands this very well, as in an interview with The New York Times, the actor shared the concerns that plagued him after finally moving on from the role of Tony Stark.

He compared the risk of sticking with a single role to a muscle in danger of atrophy, so when Christopher Nolan invited him to play Lewis Strauss in his upcoming Oppenheimer film, he gladly obliged.

His most recent role was exactly the long overdue "workout" he desperately needed in an environment that lacked the "usual go-to things."

Fans agree that playing Iron Man has definitely taken a toll on Robert Downey Jr., if not on his acting ability, then certainly on the public perception of him.

He has become synonymous with the character over the years, and many fans admit that it was only recently that they realized how much Tony Stark overshadowed the actor's other performances in their minds.

After all, Robert Downey Jr. is an actor of incredible range, and the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist was just one of his roles.

He was incredible as James Barris in A Scanner Darkly (2006), Paul Avery in Zodiac (2007), Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder (2008), and countless other roles.

So it is definitely time to remind the general public what the actor is capable of.
Oppenheimer will be released next week, on July 21, 2023.

Sources: The New York Times, Reddit