Robert Downey Jr: I am still having fun playing Ironman
Hollywood’s highest paid actor opens up about movies and the character he has become synonymous with
Robert Downey Jr was almost out of work when Ironman happened and the rest, as they say, is history. The actor is on a high with his film Captain America: Civil War hitting Indian screens today. In a tete-a-tete with SpotboyE, he explains how Tony Stark (his character) is different this time, and why he loves being a part of the franchise. Read on:
What’s going on in Tony Stark’s life at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War?
There are all these events occurring and it begs the question, “Why doesn’t anybody bug out on these Avengers when they lay waste to these places while they’re saving the world?” Tony is thinking it’s about time, but then it creates these new problems that need to be addressed.
What are the new problems?
Being unable to act with the same autonomy that the Avengers have shown all along. What makes the stories fun is that the Avengers never do anything perfectly, but they’re righteous, principled people and they genuinely care about each other. So what happens if you have different personalities who end up splitting because of principle-based arguments?
Tell us something more about Tony in this film...
He is finally realising that with all the money he has inherited, let alone all the money he’s made, he’s supposed to do something. He’s feeling more misty about his folks. There’s also the fact that Tony and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) are going through some struggles. If there’s one thing that’s been very clearly set up, it’s that Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Chris Evans) and Tony have a past and that it spans several generations. That is why playing Tony is so different this time around.
It was rumoured that you wanted to quit playing Ironman. What made you want to be a part of this film?
The Avengers movies were always these colossal, ambitious things but to me, Civil War was the smart, sexy, Marvel idea. You don’t want to see these two characters create a tear in the fabric of their relationship because you know how pervasive it can be.What has to happen for there to be any sort of understanding after a rift like that between Steve and Tony? That was the question that prompted me to sign the film head on.
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Tony and Steve are really thick friends. With this fight of ideologies happening, what is Tony feeling toward Steve?
Steve has been his best friend for the longest time, and he is the one that’s creating all this trouble. So, Tony is a bit troubled. Also, just the fact that Steve makes everything difficult because he’s being righteous about his point of view, but he’s not really behaving in a way that Tony would say is particularly righteous. He’s keeping secrets. He has this long-standing agenda with this damaged, very dangerous guy called Winter Soldier. So, for me as a middle-aged father who has kids of varying ages, it’s as if Tony’s in a parental position with this whole thing and he feels like Steve’s being an irresponsible adult.
Coming back to Ironman, can you tell us about any new suit upgrades?
There are a couple of little things that happen in this one that I’m really excited about. A little bit of new tech that he has gives him a fighting chance against Winter Soldier when they go hand-to-hand.
This is the first time you are working with the Russo brothers ( Anthony and Joe) as directors, but they are going to direct you in a couple of Avengers movies soon. What do you think of them?
There’s nothing I don’t like about them as directors. It’s not like Anthony’s just in charge of talent and Joe takes care of all the technical stuff -- they are very versatile. They’re very set in what the theme and the narrative are going to be, but they’re very flexible about how to get there. Their first Marvel film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was obviously very good and performed very well. People liked it a lot, but it was also a bit of a departure from what Marvel films used to be before. The Russos have tried to make their own mark rather than trying to just keep pushing toward what their vision of the brand is..
Image Source: ramascreen
You are playing Tony Stark for the 6th time. Aren’t you bored?
To me, it’s just been a return to a sense of freedom and collaboration, which is what I joined this party for. It’s this massive industry now, but at the end of the day, when it’s just me inhabiting the character of Tony Stark so that I can really sell it, I’m still having fun.
Image Source: ramascreen
Image Source: screenrant
You and Chris Evans have been great buddies off-screen. What makes him the perfect choice for Captain America?
He’s like the Spencer Tracy of Marvel. He stands there, tells the truth and then kicks ass in a way that you really believe. His physicality is top notch. Captain America was the single hardest character to launch in this universe and Chris did it the first time, the second time, in both Avengers movies, and he’s doing it again. I think he is very surprised by the amount of love he gets. When I go to the shopping centers now, I see 20 Captain America shirts. It’s ceased to become just about him and how well he inhabited the role. It’s become a part of our culture as a symbol. We work in different ways, but I deeply respect the guy. I learn from working with him.
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