The importance of Robert
Downey Jr. to the Marvel Cinematic Universe can’t be understated. His talent
and wit in the original Iron Man made him the face of the franchise
for more than a decade. While the MCU became a powerful force at the
box office, RDJ revived his own career and returned to the Hollywood A-list.
He also became the de facto
leader of the actors who played the original six Avengers during contract negotiations.
For years, no one at Marvel said a negative word about RDJ. But now, an
industry insider has accused him of being difficult to work with during his
years playing Tony Stark.
Long before director Jon
Favreau took a huge risk and gave Downey Jr. the role of Tony Stark, he
had a career filled with highs and lows. After a brief run on Saturday
Night Live and a handful of supporting roles in various films throughout
the 80s, Downey Jr. achieved critical acclaim for his work in the 1990s. He
even garnered an Oscar nomination for his performance in Chaplin.
But by the latter half of the
decade, Downey Jr.’s problems with substance abuse started to affect his
personal life and his career. RDJ was in and out of jail and had different drug
treatment programs.
In the early 2000s, Downey
Jr.’s career was at such a low point that Marvel actually called him
“uninsurable” in one of their comics. According to Screen Rant, in the
2002 book Spider-Man: Gets Kraven, the writers called RDJ out by name.
Despite all of the accolades
that RDJ received during his years in the MCU, filmmaker Gary J. Tunnicliffe
alluded the actor isn’t easy to work with. During an appearance on Midnight’s
Edge, Tunnicliffe claimed that RDJ has fans fooled.
“I mean, look, there’s a very
nice kind of cleanup job on RDJ right now, and everyone seems to think that
Robert Downey Jr.’s the most lovable fluffy bunny rabbit on the planet, yet I
know stories from Iron Man where Robert Downey Jr. was not an easy person to
work with and can be quite difficult,” Tunnicliffe claimed.
He went on to say that Downey
Jr. clearly knows he’s the face of the franchise and has the power. He also
claims that RDJ receives special treatment compared to other MCU actors. And,
he says that filmmakers know he must be respected.
“He’s the elephant in the room
if you like, he knows where the power is,” Tunnicliffe concluded.
Of course, this info should be
taken with a grain of salt. The filmmaker does not run in the same circles as
Downey Jr., Favreau, and Marvel boss Kevin Feige. Also, no one has come forward
to corroborate his claims.
