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Robert Downey Jr. is well-known for captivating audiences across the globe with his magnetic personality and undeniable talent. It goes without saying that RDJ’s name has become synonymous with the iconic superhero, Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. featured in the blockbuster filmIron Man(2008) and ever since then he has reprised the fan-favorite character of Tony Stark on several occasions.
But other than his hit career in the MCU, theSherlock Holmesstar has also delivered some acclaimed movies such asTropic Thunder, which brought Academy Award nominations to theIron Manstar. The film didn’t just bring a great story but also presented the RDJ in blackface. This black face of theChaplinstar invited some critical attention from the public.
Also Read:“It’s not a bad place to be”: Robert Downey Jr Pursued MCU’s Iron Man Role Like His Life Depended on It After Being Inspired By Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves
Robert Downey Jr. On Accepting The Offer OfTropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder, a satirical action-comedy film released in 2008, brought together a star-studded cast including Robert Downey Jr. In the film, theAvengersstar took on the controversial role of Kirk Lazarus, a method actor who undergoes a controversial procedure to portray an African-American character. This decision sparked significant controversy and ignited discussions among the masses.
TheChaplinstar surely knew the gravity of the role before signing it, and when Ben Stiller called him for the role he simply asked him that he will do the film after his MCU debut. Though it seems like theIron Manstar finally made his decision to take up the film by following his heart. As per RDJ he simply listened to his heart, which wanted to enjoy being black in the summer.
“When Ben [Stiller] called and said, ‘Hey, I’m doing this thing’ – I think Sean Penn had passed on it, or something – I thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that after Iron Man!’ And then I started thinking, ‘This is a terrible idea, wait a minute. And I then I thought, ‘Hold on, dude. Get real here. Where is your heart?’ And my heart is, A, I get to be black for a summer in my mind, so there’s something in it for me. The other thing is, I get to hold up to nature the insane self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they think they’re allowed to do.”
Also Read:“He can request pretty much whatever he wants”: George Clooney Demanded Outlandish Requests After Replacing Robert Downey Jr. in $723M Movie to Establish A-List Status
90% Of Robert Downey Jr.’s Black Friends Were Thrilled After Seeing His Performance InTropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr.shared that he believes that Stiller is a great filmmaker as he praised his vision of the movie. Adding on, theSherlock Holmesstar revealed that 90% of his black friends were amazed by the movie. On being asked about the rest of the 10% of his Black friends’ opinions, RDJ commented that he can’t disagree with them but he enjoyed listening to his heart.
“Ben, who is a masterful artist and director, probably the closest thing to Charlie Chaplin that I’ve experienced in my lifetime if you had seen him while he was directing this movie, you would have been like, ‘I’m watching David Lean, I’m watching Chaplin, I’m watching Coppola. He knew exactly what the vision for this was. He executed it. It was impossible to not have it be an offensive nightmare of a movie. 90 percent of [his] black friends were like, ‘Dude, that was great.’(the rest 10 percent)Uh, you know, I can’t disagree with them, but I know where my heart was.”
Also Read:“I think we’re cowards”: Richard Dreyfuss Claims White Actors Should be Able to Play Black Roles After Robert Downey Jr.‘s Controversial $195M Movie
The movieTropic Thunderhas surely been surrounded by some controversies, but one cannot challenge the fact that RDJ’s performance in the movie is great.
Tropic Thunderis available on platforms like Amazon Prime Video.
Source:TheJoe Rogan Experience
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Vivek Kumar
Articles Published :399
Vivek Kumar is a young, enthusiastic writer with a natural talent for expressing his thoughts through writing. Currently pursuing a major in Psychology, he is dedicated to sharing his critical writing with the rest of the world. Having honed his craft as a content writer at FandomWire, Vivek has written 400 articles here. Along with his passion for writing, Vivek is also an avid anime fan. His ceaseless ardor for writing, coupled with an innate aptitude, enables him to produce quality content consistently.
