Robert Downey Jr. says he had some of his greatest acting work playing Iron Man but believes it went “unnoticed because of the genre.”
During an episode of Rob Lowe’s Literally! podcast, Downey Jr. expressed that his portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was among the highlights of his acting career. However, he noted that its recognition was somewhat limited due to the nature of the genre.
“I felt so exposed after being in the cocoon of Marvel where I think I did some of the best work I will ever do, but it went a little bit unnoticed because of the genre,” Downey Jr. said. “[I] did myself a favor, because the rug was pulled so definitively out from underneath me and all the things that I was leaning on as opposed to what my understanding of confidence and security was, boy did they evaporate. And it rendered me teachable.”
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige stated last month that he won’t be approaching Downey Jr. for a return to the MCU in order to preserve Tony Stark’s emotional conclusion. Despite this, rumors persist that Marvel is keen on bringing back Iron Man to revitalize the MCU after a box office slump last year, marked by underperforming films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels.
Currently, Robert Downey Jr. is actively engaged in the Oscar campaign for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a role that earned him the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
