Robert Downey Jr. fascinated Christopher Nolan in his role as Iron Man
“He has so much charisma as Tony Stark,” director Oppenheimer said.
Guest in the Late Show by Stephen Colbert, Christopher Nolan praised Robert Downey Jr. and his iconic role as Iron Man in the MCU. Indeed, the superhero was the first Avenger to initiate the Marvel multiverse as it is today with his first solo film in 2008. The character heroically sacrifices himself in 2019 in Endgamehaving had a longevity of eleven years and nine Marvel films.
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. always impressed Chris Nolan by his talent.
“With everyone you work with, with the actors… you’re looking for some kind of emotional, empathetic connectionexplains the filmmaker, you are looking for some kind of generosity. He has this incredible generosity of spirit. This means that when he’s in a scene with other people, he makes sure that they’re all doing their best, that they’re all capable of giving their best. It helps them clarify these emotional connections.”
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RDJ plays American politician Lewis Strauss in the film Nolan. His character is a formidable opponent of Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphyand will be responsible for the scientist’s conviction after being considered a war hero.
“I always wanted to work with him”, affirms Christopher Nolan. The two men had almost collaborated on Batman Beginsthe actor being sure that he was approached for the role of the Scarecrow, ultimately played by… Cillian Murphy.
“He has so much charisma in Tony Stark, continues the director, him playing Iron Man is one of the most important casting decisions ever made in cinematic history. I wanted to give him the opportunity to lose himself in a role, to lose himself in another human being as great actors like.”
Indeed, it is not uncommon for an actor’s investment in a contract lasting several years, or even decades, as is the case for the Marvel team, to give rise to debate. Some like Leonardo DiCaprio and his protégé Timothée Chalamet make a point of not signing on for a superhero role, precisely because of this long commitment.
RDJ himself had expressed his fears about the role of Iron Man in an interview with New York Times Magazine : “You start to wonder if a muscle you have has atrophied”, he declared. Ultimately, his Oscar nomination and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor confirmed that he was far from rusty after a decade playing Tony Stark.
Robert Downey Jr. reveals that before Iron Man, he met Chris Nolan for Batman Begins
