Following the public Q&A, Downey sat down for an interview to further chat up Iron Man 2.
Robert Downey Jr Iron Man 2 Interview
Do you enjoy working a crowd, like you did for the panel?Robert Downey Jr: "Yesterday, for Sherlock Holmes, I became love dizzy and I thought I might lose my footing, so I was transported by it. Today, I had my legs under me a little better. Jon [Favreau] and I worked out a bit, which to me is a huge deal because usually Jon likes going, 'You say something funny and then I’ll come back. Let’s go!' And, he pulls me out on stage, which to me is a little anxiety provoking. Today, we actually worked out a bit, so that was nice."
This movie looks like it’s so much fun. How much more fun did you have this time around? Did you have a greater degree of confidence playing this character again?
Robert Downey Jr: "The confidence was higher, but fun was not necessarily the word I would use to describe it. We felt more responsible to spend more time, and we had broadened our cast and horizons, and the story is actually significantly more complex and subtle - while you can still follow it. I don’t want to say that it was as fun. It flew by, which was also odd, because we felt every punch, moment, laugh and everything last time. It was a really, really, really trying process to get this done to the best of our ability."
What was the trickiest thing to work out story-wise?
Robert Downey Jr: "What does everybody best offer? How do we make sure that all these insanely gifted people who are used to being #1 on their own call sheet, who have come to join us to play, have a real beginning, middle and end? How do we make them pertinent to a story that actually could have easily been told, just continuing along the same lines we were, bringing in another non-descript bad guy and kicking ass? The trickiest part was living up to the ambition."
In the first film, there was a show-stopping moment when your heart was taken out, where there are no effects and it’s just all acting. Is there a moment like that in this film?
Robert Downey Jr: "A big through-line for this has to do with what did after the credits last time, when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) comes in and says, 'You’re part of something bigger than you know.' Jon and I are both big Writer’s Journey and Joseph Campbell fans. Pretty much everyone is. But there is something to be said about legacy and there’s something that’s missing in him. And, obviously, what’s kept him alive is a miniaturized version of something his father created. But things aren’t always as they seem and someone arrives on the scene. How bad-ass was Mickey Rourke with those whips?" [referring to footage screened during the Iron Man 2 panel]
What was that thing?
Robert Downey Jr: "I don’t quite understand. [Laughing] But, it seems like it’s similarly powered. All I know is that Jon really made some smart moves in the things he decided to prioritize. To me, this film really is about Tony’s secret journey into his deepest fears, his sense of obligation, his sense of legacy with his father, a sense of brotherhood with Rhodey and his ongoing deep love and respect for Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow)."
Was the suit any easier this time?
Robert Downey Jr: "Yeah, it was a little easier. Not enough for my taste."
Is there a love triangle between Tony and Pepper, and Tony and the Black Widow played by Scarlett Johansson?
Robert Downey Jr: "We essentially started off saying it’s a love triangle, and then we realized that love triangle is done in these superhero movies all the time. What we wanted to do was something just a little bit freakier than that, and I believe we have succeeded. Black Widow is a great character because she is not what she appears to be. It was a great opportunity. I don’t even know if it’s so much a love triangle. Pepper is exactly what she appears to be, except there’s a lot more going on under the surface, and that’s brought to bear this time."
How surprised are you that this Iron Man franchise has changed people’s perceptions of you as an actor?
Robert Downey Jr: "It’s pretty miraculous. But, in the realm of miracles, I think it’s probably a two or three because it’s a movie industry thing. Nonetheless, it’s mind-blowing to me because I’d always felt like I wanted to and could do something like this. It’s wild."
Page 2: Changes in Tony Stark and The Avengers
