After more than a decade with Marvel, Robert Downey Jr. calls “Oppenheimer” his best film of his career.
During the UK premiere of “Oppenheimer,” Downey described Christopher Nolan’s period piece as his “best film” to date.
“I’ll just say it: This is the best movie I’ve ever been in,” said the “Iron Man” star, “and I can’t wait for you all to experience it.”
Notably, after walking the red carpet outside the ODEON Luxe Leicester Square theater in London, the cast left the premiere of ‘Oppenheimer’ before the film began screening due to the official announcement of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which prevents to SAG actors to participate in any promotional activities.
Downey said recently The New York Times that he was “one hundred percent” concerned about acting outside the MCU. “You start to wonder if a muscle you have hasn’t atrophied,” Downey said. Downey further credited the 2020 flop “Dolittle” for teaching him an important lesson about “hasty” taking on projects.
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In “Oppenheimer,” Downey plays Lewis Strauss, the former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, who worked with J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy. Strauss is teased as one of the film’s antagonists, which in part attracted Downey to the role.
“At this point, you’re not doing it for the money,” Downey said of joining the film. “Have you ever done it for the money once your basic needs have been met? Probably not. Did you think it was about money and prestige? Probably from when I was a teenager until that illusion dissolved in front of me, leaving me in a depressive state. But then there’s why: I don’t know why I can relate so much to Lewis Strauss, but I felt I was destined to play this role and I knew I would be in good hands. ‘Oppenheimer’ was kind of a borderline for me.”
He added, “I knew there was a point where Chris Nolan was approving, let’s work those other muscles, but let’s do it by making you devoid of your usual to-dos.”
Similarly, director Nolan revealed The Los Angeles Times that Downey’s performance in “Oppenheimer” is “completely different” from his past roles, most recalling Downey’s transformative role in the 1992 Charlie Chaplin biopic “Chaplin” for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
“He’s one of our great actors, and even though a generation of kids know what a huge movie star he is, they haven’t seen his subtlety and brilliance,” Nolan said. “I wanted to get him to do something completely different, to lose himself in another human being. When was the last time we saw him? “Chaplin”? Directors are very aware of Downey’s talent, but due to the incredible energy he can hit the screen, finding just the right thing for him is difficult.
For all the details on “Oppenheimer”, click here.
