Marvel star Robert Downey Jr. recently expressed concerns about his acting skills during his time portraying Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In an interview with The New York Times, Downey Jr. admitted that he was worried about becoming too reliant on specific techniques. However, his concerns were quickly dismissed by director Christopher Nolan, who is helming the upcoming film Oppenheimer.
Downey Jr. kick-started the MCU in 2008 with his stellar performance in the first Iron Man film and continued to appear throughout the franchise until Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Despite his worries, Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark garnered critical acclaim and had a significant influence on the character’s portrayal in the comics. His contributions also played a pivotal role in transforming the MCU into the multi-billion-dollar franchise it is today.
When asked about the greatest movies and the “soul of cinema,” Downey Jr. opined that there are better examples of cinema than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He pointed out that films like “Gone With the Wind” and “The Ten Commandments” remain among the biggest movies of all time when adjusted for inflation. Downey Jr. suggested that there were likely films in those years that better represented what cinema can be.
Reflecting on his upbringing in a family that challenged the idea of summer blockbusters having merit, Downey Jr. shared that his family did not consider the preferred films of the year to be of high quality either.
Now free from his role in the MCU, Downey Jr. is excited about his next project: starring in director Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. He expressed happiness about being involved in a quality production and reconnecting with a more purist approach to making movies.
Oppenheimer, directed and written by Christopher Nolan, is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The film tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, and the paradox he faced in risking the destruction of the world to save it. The star-studded cast includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Dane DeHaan, David Krumholtz, Alden Ehrenreich, Matthew Modine, Jack Quaid, David Dastmalchian, Jason Clarke, Josh Peck, Alex Wolff, Casey Affleck, and Gary Oldman, among others.
Oppenheimer is set to be released on July 21, 2023, by Universal Pictures.
