Here's What Robert Downey Jr. Predicted About His Future in Hollywood Before Being Successful

What Robert Downey Jr. had prophesized about his future as an actor in Hollywood, came true. The 59-year-old emerged as a revolutionary star with his outstanding performances in films like Oppenheimer, Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes, and many more. However, he predicted his legacy much before he conquered the entertainment industry.  

"I think I was always someone who wanted to be entertaining or whatever, even when I was a kid," predicted Downey Jr. in a candid sit-down with Interview Magazine. Fans couldn't agree more because his role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe brand revolutionized the Hollywood industry in the superhero league of films with his exceptional talent. 

Another feather in his cap was added recently when the actor received an Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony 2024 for Best Supporting Actor in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Apparently, his performance in the 2023 thriller/drama has been considered to be the finest to date. 

However, Downey Jr. didn't reach here without his fair share of ups and downs. His acting career stagnated when he succumbed to wrong acts like substance abuse and suffered jail time due to his addiction habits. But, instead of hiding behind his dark past, the actor has openly discussed his mistakes and the consequences that followed, eventually affecting his Hollywood career. 

He spoke more candidly about the issue in the Netflix documentary Sr., while also paying tribute to his father and director Robert Downey Sr., who had Parkinson's disease and died in July 2021 at the age of 85. "It was just a wild era," recalled Downey Jr. becoming a full-fledged addict around the time he made the 1987 film Less Than Zero. 

"That whole world, it gets tied into creativity," he added. "We were all altering our consciousness with substances. I was just kinda playing a game of just wanting to self-soothe or just stay loaded rather than deal with the fact that things had gone off the tracks a little bit," as per PEOPLE. Downey Jr. who's now sober, admitted it took him another 20 years to "get my own s--- together."

But, he bounced back and conquered the world of cinema again. So, when the Interview Magazine asked him what else he could be doing if not breathing cinema, Downey Jr. said, "You think about what else you could do. I could write music; I could work with handicapped kids. But there's something inexplicable between 'Action!' and 'Cut!' which is a time that's really so timeless."

"And I don't want to explain it; I just like it sometimes.

There's been maybe a combined twenty minutes of pure feeling of creative expulsion that keeps me involved in it," He added. "And I'd probably be the most unhappy veterinarian imaginable, because I'd be looking in the papers, saying 'Oh, look, another movie triumph.'" 

He undeniably altered his fate with the MCU brand and Downey Jr. recognized what he did with the titular armored superhero Iron Man in 2008, "You think about what you want to do with your life, and you want to do the greatest things imaginable. Look what I did. I revolutionized the industry."