15 Things You Need To Know About Robert Downey Jr. - Reformed Rebel!

Hey everyone, welcome back to Rocky Goes to Hollywood. Today we're spotlighting a true modern icon, Robert Downey Jr. From his early rise as a young Hollywood star, to his struggles and incredible comeback, to becoming the face of one of the biggest movie franchises in history, RDJ's journey is nothing short of remarkable. Known for his razor-sharp wit, magnetic screen presence and undeniable talent, he's a living example of resilience and reinvention. So buckle up as we take a deep dive into the highs, the lows, and the legacy of the one and only Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. was born on the 4th of April 1965 in Manhattan, New York City, the younger of two children. His father, Robert Downey Sr., was a filmmaker, while his mother, Elsie Ann, was an actress who appeared in many of Downey Sr.'s films. Due to his father's work as an independent filmmaker, Downey spent much of his childhood moving between homes, living at various times in Connecticut, New York, California, London, Paris, and Woodstock. At the age of 10, while living in London, he attended Perry House School in Chelsea, where he studied classical ballet. He dropped out of Santa Monica High School at 17 and moved to New York to pursue acting. His first jobs in the city included waiting tables at Central Falls restaurant, working in a shoe store, and performing as living art at Soho's infamous underground club area. As a child, Downey was a huge fan of the Iron Man comics, a character that would eventually change his life in 2008. At five years old, RDJ made his first appearance on his father's experimental movie, Pound. In a surprisingly bold moment for a child actor, his first line of dialogue was the cheeky question, ''Have any hair on your balls?'' This early experience not only introduced him to the world of acting at a remarkably young age, but also hinted at the edgy, unconventional humour that would occasionally surface throughout his career. As a child, he was also surrounded by drugs. His father struggled with addiction and his mother battled alcoholism. His father even introduced him to drugs at the age of eight by offering him a marijuana joint, a decision he later deeply regretted. Downey's first run-in with the law came at age 31 in 1996, during a traffic stop for speeding. He was arrested for drunk driving, possession of heroin, and carrying an unloaded pistol in his pickup truck. He received a suspended three-year prison sentence and was placed on probation. In December 1997, he was jailed for 180 days after violating his probation. By August 1999, after three probation violations related to drug and alcohol abuse over three years, Malibu Judge Lawrence Meara declared he had run out of options, sentencing Downey to prison. The judge said it was to save his life, as Downey had refused to take responsibility for abstaining from drugs and alcohol. In November 2000, Downey was rearrested on drug and weapons charges at the Merv Griffin Resort in Palm Springs. Police found him alone with cocaine and methamphetamines. He cooperated fully, spent the night in jail, and was released the next morning on $15,000 bail. In April 2001, Downey was arrested again for being under the influence in Los Angeles after wandering in an alley. Following this, he was fired from Ally McBeal by producer David E. Kelly. While drunk, he mistakenly entered a neighbor's home in Malibu, believing it to be his own. He fell asleep in their child's bed. He was arrested for being under the influence of drugs, marking his third violation of probation. He starred in the music video for Elton John's song, I Want Love. In late July 2001, he was granted a one-day release from rehab specifically to film the video, which was shot in a single continuous take at Greystone Manor in Beverly Hills. This marked his first professional work since being dismissed from the television series Ally McBeal. Downey enjoyed collaborating with the video's director, Sam Taylor Johnson, but he proposed they work together again on an art project. The result was an art video titled Pieta, inspired by Michelangelo's iconic sculpture in Rome. The piece was featured in Taylor Johnson's exhibition Mute at the White Cube II Gallery in London, which ran from November to January 2002. Every actor has roles they were considered for or turned down. Here are some of Downey's. He was almost cast as Ducky in Pretty in Pink. He was considered for Tom Cruise's roles in Legend and Top Gun. Also for the lead in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and for the role of Billy the Kid Hicks in St. Elmo's Fire. He was even considered for two Tim Burton films, the title roles of Batman and Edward Scissorhands. Downey was approached for the voice role of Megamind in Megamind, but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. He was originally set to star in Cowboys and Aliens, but had to withdraw due to his commitment to Sherlock Holmes' A Game of Shadows. The role eventually went to Daniel Craig. He was offered the lead in Oz the Great and Powerful in 2013, but declined because he wasn't interested. And he was initially considered for the role of Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four from 2005, a role he was cast in for the MCU's new Fantastic Four outing. Did you know that Robert Downey Jr. is also a musician? He plays the piano, guitar, drums, and has even released his own album titled The Futurist in 2004. When he's not acting, Downey practices Wing Chun, a form of Kung Fu. Downey trains at the LA Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy in West Los Angeles three times a week, for three hours per session. He began studying Wing Chun in 2003 as part of his journey to overcome drug addiction, training under Sifu Eric Oram, who also served as a fighter martial arts consultant on Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. Downey stands at 5'8", slightly on the short side, and he has worn lifts at the request of directors in some of his recent leading roles, specifically in Iron Man and its sequel, as well as Sherlock Holmes, to enhance his height on screen. In a 2009 interview, Downey revealed that he was detained upon arriving in Japan for the Iron Man premiere. When authorities ran his passport, they discovered his past criminal record, including multiple arrests and incarcerations related to drug offenses during the 1990s and early 2000s. Because he had failed to disclose these convictions, he was interrogated for six hours and nearly denied entry. Although he was eventually permitted to enter the country for the premiere, it was decided that he would not be allowed to return to Japan in the future. RDJ is the first cast member on Saturday Night Live to ever win an Academy Award. Though he wasn't a regular on the show, he did make memorable appearances early in his career, connecting him to the legendary SNL family. In 2024, he won his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his compelling portrayal of Louis Strauss in Oppenheimer. Downey was nominated twice before, though, in 1993 for Best Actor for portraying Charlie Chaplin in the biopic Chaplin, and in 2009 for Best Supporting Actor for his hilarious role as Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder. In the 2016 film The Nice Guys, he made a brief cameo appearance as a corpse named Sid Shattuck. Although his role was non-speaking and quite short, it added a fun Easter egg for fans and was another collaboration with director Shane Black, who Downey has worked with on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3. Downey appeared alongside three actors who played Batman, George Clooney in Good Night and Good Luck, Val Kilmer in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Michael Keaton in Game 6, all from 2005. Ironically, Downey was once considered for the role. He has also worked with four Dr. Watsons. He starred opposite Jude Law, of course, in their own Sherlock Holmes movie and its sequel. In Iron Man 3, he worked with Ben Kingsley, who was in Without a Clue. In Captain America Civil War, he worked with Martin Freeman from the TV series Sherlock. And in The Judge, he worked alongside Robert Duval from The 7% Solution. Downey enjoys learning new languages and has picked up some French, Italian, and even a bit of Mandarin. His passion for languages adds to his charm and allows him to connect with people from all around the world. Downey married actress and singer Deborah Falconer on the 29th of May 1992, after knowing each other for only six weeks. Their son, Indio Falconer Downey, was born in September 93. In 1996, Falconer left Downey due to his drug problems and filed for divorce in early 2001. It was finalized three years later. In 2003, Downey met producer Susan Levin on the set of Gothika. Although she initially turned him down twice, the two quietly began a relationship during filming. The couple married in August 2005 in a Jewish ceremony in New York. Downey even has a tattoo on one of his biceps that reads Susie Q, in tribute to her. They now have And that's a wrap folks. I hope you enjoyed this look into the life and legacy of Robert Downey Jr. Got a favorite RDJ role or moment? Share it in the comments, I'd love to know what you think. If you had a good time watching, don't forget to like and subscribe to support the channel. Thanks for hanging out and until next time, bye for now.