The moment Robert Downey Jr’s father knew his son would be a star

Posted On September 13, 2024September 13, 2024

It might be easy to throw Robert Downey Jr’s name in with the many famous and successful offspring of the filmmakers of the United States, but considering the New York City-born actor’s long and winding journey to his present success, one would do well to reconsider such initial thought. After all, Downey Jr is someone who came to the big time the hard way.

The son of director, screenwriter and actor Robert Downey Sr, Downey Jr has enjoyed huge success in the film industry, earning three Academy Award nominations and one win for his many great performances, with some of his most notable being those in Chaplin, Tropic Thunder, Iron Man and Oppenheimer.

Downey Jr experienced fame and fortune early into his career, appearing in Chaplin before he was 30 years old, but he also suffered serious addiction issues, which culminated in his being imprisoned on drug charges and being sacked from a number of notable projects. Thankfully, the actor has maintained sobriety since 2003, which has invariably led to the most successful period of his career.

While Downey Jr’s story is one of sheer redemption, one might wonder how his career might have turned out were he not to have suffered his lowest moments. According to Downey Jr, he grew up surrounded by drugs because of his father’s involvement in the film industry. In fact, it was Downey Sr who gave his son a joint to smoke at the age of six and also admitted that he let him snort cocaine on occasion.

Downey Sr later said that he regretted letting his son do drugs, especially considering his future addiction issues, although Downey Jr felt that it was at least a bonding experience. “When my dad and I would do drugs together,” Downey Jr once said, “It was like him trying to express his love for me in the only way he knew how.”

The filmmaker ended up casting his son in a number of his movies, including 1970’s Pound, in which he made his debut, and 1972’s Greaser’s Palace. It was in the 9th grade that Downey Sr saw his son perform in a production of Oklahoma!, at which point he knew that he had a future in acting.

Speaking with The Daily Beast, Downey Sr once noted, “I said, ‘He’s singing and dancing?’ I was a total mess, but I went. He was in the 9th grade and was so great, and when I left, I was so happy because he’d found his thing. I got a call once from his principal in junior high who said, ‘You’ve got to talk to him. He’s just hanging out in the theatre all day and doesn’t go to one class.’ And I said, ‘That’s good! He’s going to be okay.’”

In the following years, Downey Jr took on a handful of small roles off-Broadway and in movies like Weird Science and Tuff Turf. His breakthrough roles in Less than Zero and Chaplin were just around the corner, but so were his lowest moments of addiction and despair. Downey Jr’s relationship with his father was certainly complex and even neglectful, but there was perhaps some hope in the director that his son could make it to the big time. Inevitably, he did, but it was a journey that came at a significant cost.