Robert Downey Jr. has reached huge fame since starring in the 2008 Iron Man movie…
But before becoming successful, he had a dark past.
In 1999, Downey Jr. was sent to prison for 3 years for drug and alcohol abuse.
However, he only served 1 year in prison at California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison.
But now, new details have broken out about how RDJ got into drugs in the first place.
Keep reading to find out more…
Robert Downey Jr. is one of the best-loved stars on the planet.
Mainly thanks to his legendary performance in the Iron Man films!
The movie’s had a huge effect on the whole superhero industry.
Iron Man introduced Tony Stark as the first official member of the Avengers.
It was definitely a pivotal moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The movie was so well received that it even found praise outside of the Marvel fanbase!
Iron Man did become part of something bigger…
It is regarded as the start of phase one of the MCU’s creation.
And it was clearly a huge success…
The first Iron Man movie alone made almost $600 million!
From there, the universe expanded with a whole host of different characters.
The end of the first phase culminated in the classic The Avengers movie from 2012.
But there’s an even more major thing that Iron Man did for the superhero industry.
He introduced the idea of a modern superhero.
Iron Man, in short, tells the story of a billionaire genius, who builds a powered armored suit in order to try and escape from terrorists.
But then he discovers a need to use his powers to fight evil and bring justice to the world…
The story revolves around Tony Stark, who inherits Stark Industries from his father.
However, not before long, Stark gets caught up in a terrorist attack.
Long story short, Stark manages to escape by creating the iconic powered armour suit.
And under all of this technology, Iron Man is just a human man with no superpowers.
This is what makes Downey Jr.’s character one of the most beloved out there.
At the end of the day, the skin underneath it all makes him just like me and you!
Downey Jr. played Iron Man in ten different movies.
Fans are even convinced that the actor deserves an Oscar for some of his performances!
However, Downey Jr. has been previously nominated for an Oscar — twice, in fact…
He was nominated for his role in Tropic Thunder in 2008, as well as Chaplin back in 1993.
However, Downey Jr. hasn’t always had it so smooth sailing…
In fact, the beginning of the star’s career was pretty rocky indeed!
The star’s father, Robert Downey Sr., was also an actor and filmmaker, but their relationship was strained.
However, as Downey Jr. said in his own words, as per The Washington Post: “When my dad and I would do drugs together, it was like him trying to express his love for me in the only way he knew how.”
His father’s struggles with addiction affected him so much that he followed suit.
Downey Jr. would “spend every night out getting drunk … making a thousand phone calls in pursuit of drugs.”
However, soon enough the star fell into trouble with the law.
He was arrested multiple times between 1996 and 2001 for various drug charges.
However, thankfully Downey Jr. turned things around after a stint in rehab.
He rocked back onto the movie scene in 2003 in The Singing Detective.
But things changed for the actor when he bagged the lead role in Iron Man…
It marked Downey’s first big blockbuster role.
But recently, one of his co-stars from the first Iron Man movie has claimed that Downey Jr. owes him big time…
$100 million, in fact!
Terrence Howard, who played James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, said that Downey Jr. owes him a fortune.
The Empire star made the claims in an interview with Rolling Stone back in 2015, as per UNILAD.
Howard explained that the casting directors were initially hesitant about booking Downey Jr.
This was due to his past problems with dr*gs.
Howard had been initially offered $3.5 million to star in the first movie, with an extra $5 million on top if they made a sequel.
However, he agreed to take a $1 million pay cut for the hire of Downey Jr. in the lead role.
Yet by the time the second movie rolled around, Marvel told Howard they were cutting down his part — and so his salary too.
He declined the offer, and Don Cheadle picked up the role instead.
Howard said he called Downey Jr. asking for a helping hand.
He said: “I called Robby and was like, ‘Look, man . . .’ Leaving messages with his assistants, called him at least seventeen times that day and twenty-one the next and finally left a message saying, ‘Look, man, I need the help that I gave you.’ Never heard from him.
“And guess who got the millions I was supposed to get? He got the whole franchise.”
He continued: “So I’ve actually given him $100 million, which ends up being a $100 million loss for me from me trying to look after somebody.”
The actor claimed that, regardless of his losses, he would do it again.
“You know, to this day I would do the same thing. It’s just my nature,” the fifty-three-year-old said.
But recently, Downey Jr. has hit headlines for another reason.
His brand new bald head!
He’s shaved it for his starring role in The Sympathizer.
And he showed the full process in an Instagram video, saying, “Well anyway, I don’t want to wear a bald cap, so we need to shave my head.”
“The things we do for our work… and our kids. #Sympathizer set ready,” Downey Jr. joked.
You can watch the video here.
And now, it has been revealed how Downey’s drug abuse first started, and who introduced drugs to him in the first place.
UNILAD reports that he was only 6 years old when he got introduced to drugs by his father, Robert Downey Sr.
At the time, his father saw him taking a sip from a glass of white wine whilst he was playing poker at their family home in New York.
Instead of doing what any parent would do if they saw their child drinking white wine…
Downey Jr.’s father handed him a joint and told him he could puff on it instead of drinking alcohol.
During an interview with Vanity fair, Downey Sr. said: “We were all sitting around, smoking grass and playing poker down in the old West Village loft, and Robert was staring at me kind of funny—Robert was always an observer of it all, even at a very young age.
“And I go, ‘You know, you ought to try a little of this instead of drinking.”
He added: “I passed him a joint. And suddenly I knew I had made a terrible, stupid mistake… Giving a little kid a toke of grass just to be funny.”
What do you think?