In December 2023, Vanity Fair published a roundtable interview with several of the “Iron Man” actor’s inner circle, including “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan and “Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo.
Of his time spent working with Robert Downey Jr., Nolan said, “I wouldn’t call them improvisations because a lot of it was very carefully planned, but he had a number of embellishments, things that he wanted to bring to the character, things that he wanted to try out.” The director added, “I think he loved that freedom to move around the room and present himself with whatever energy he felt like: ‘Let’s try it again! Let’s try it a different way!'” A little late, Nolan concluded, “So he was able to really thrash it out, really reach for something and stretch himself.”
The Russo brothers, who directed RDJ thrice during their time in the MCU, had similar stories. “Robert is famous for throwing the plan out the window and climbing on top of the couch and whatever, sort of going off-book,” Joe Russo said, before elaborating how Downey thrives the most when spontaneity is involved.
Brother Anthony added it was that originality that helped RDJ play Tony Stark for so long, saying, “Robert has certainly lived a complicated life. He understands the stakes, he understands loss, he understands the turns life can take between ups and downs. He’s always looking for that level of depth, that level of complexity. I think he knows that’s what we all come to movies for in the first place.”