Robert Downey Jr. may no longer be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but his time as Tony Stark/Iron Man will probably go down as one of his most iconic performances. His employer, Marvel Studios, loved it as it ushered in an era of unprecedented success, and so did the fans. However, he views a different – and more recent – production as the height of his career.
Despite the success and fan love that came with playing Iron Man for over a decade, Downey does not think any of the films he starred in as the character is the best movie of his career. No! That honor belongs to the Christopher Nolan biopic Oppenheimer.
Robert Downey Jr says #Oppenheimer is the best film Christopher Nolan has ever made pic.twitter.com/57x4MCzqS4
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) July 13, 2023
Downey made this claim on Thursday, during the UK premiere of Oppenheimer. During an interview on the red carpet, he stated, “Just going to flat out say it: This is the best film I’ve ever been in and I cannot wait for you all to experience it.”
We would have been tempted to dismiss this as marketing speak but then Downey made other comments that make us inclined to believe him. During an interview with IndieWire, the Avengers actor said that he didn’t join Oppenheimer’s cast for the money but for the challenge of playing Lewis Strauss, one of the antagonists.
He stated, “Were you ever doing it for the money once your baseline needs were met? Probably not. Did you think it was about money and prestige? Probably from the time I was a teenager until that illusion dissolved in front of me, leaving me in a depressive state.”
The Sherlock Holmes actor went on to say that he felt a kinship with his character that he couldn’t explain. “I felt like I was meant to play this role, and I knew I’d be in capable hands,” he concluded. Earlier this month, Downey had expressed his fears that after his time with the MCU, he wondered if he could still play other roles. He stated, “You start to wonder if a muscle you have hasn’t atrophied.”
With Oppenheimer, the actor seemed to find his groove back and, with the director’s help, nurse his muscles back to health. He stated, “I knew there was a point where Chris Nolan was endorsing, let’s work those other muscles, but let’s do it while rendering you devoid of your usual go-to things.”
Oppenheimer tells the story of an American scientist of the same name who was instrumental in the development of the atomic bomb. The film has been well received by critics and will go up against Barbie at the box office.
Written and directed by Nolan, the film features an ensemble cast led by Cillian Murphy as the titular character. Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Casey Affleck, Florence Pugh, and Rami Malek are some of the other talents on board.
Oppenheimer had a successful premiere. However, the film’s cast members left before it started screening. They did this in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strike which bars its members from participating in any film production or any promotion effort until the strike is lifted.
Up next, Downey will star in a remake of the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock psychological thriller film Vertigo. There are also rumors he will reprise his role as Iron Man, possibly in a cameo, in the film Captain America: Brave New World.
Oppenheimer will land in theaters on Friday, July 21.
