With the Scream Awards show about to honor Robert Downey Jr. with their Hero Award for his portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes this weekend, an interview with the L.A. Times has him reflecting on his vast career and his not so favorable opinion of the last installment of the ‘Iron Man’ franchise.
Although Downey sings praises of the first ‘Iron Man’ film, the Times has him quoted as saying that “there were certain aspects (of ‘Iron Man 2’) that were dissatisfying and disappointing to me.” He goes on to say, “at least they lit me right.”
Why the big letdown on the sequel? Downey explains:
“[The first one] was a meditation on responsibility and an exploration of how a small group of people can take a two-dimensional idea and, if the winds are right, create something that makes people say, ‘That was my favorite movie of the year.’ To me, Tony Stark’s story is a karma story and a technology story. I love a good action movie — a Steve McQueen or Tom Cruise or Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson in the right spot, and you smile and say, ‘That’s what this kind of movie is all about.’ There were two times in my life I prepared for something manically, it was this and ‘Chaplin.’ I became the expert on this guy.”
Some fans did complain that the second film didn’t fully explore the personal demons and moral dilemma Stark had and maybe on some level Downey agrees. After all, he did research the part and became very knowledgeable about what would motivate his character. Others think that since ‘Iron Man 2’ funnels into the upcoming ‘The Avengers’ movie, it really wasn’t a sequel to the first movie but more like a prequel to what will motivate Stark in ‘The Avengers.’
Either way, Downey has the ability to take on any role and make it his. After all, who else could play a white actor playing a black actor in a war movie in hopes to get an Oscar nod in ‘Tropic Thunder?’ Although he has just finished playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in ‘The Avengers’, Downey will once again don the suit in ‘Iron Man 3’ which is currently in pre-production. Here’s to hoping that ‘Iron Man 3’ will do much more than giving Robert Downey Jr. good lighting!
