Breaking the Mold: Robert Downey Jr's Surprising Movie Picks from the Last 25 Years (Not Including MCU)

Robert Downey Jr. surprisingly selects The Shaggy Dog and Dolittle as his significant films from the past 25 years. Despite gaining fame for his portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting from Iron Man in 2008 and culminating in Avengers: Endgame in 2019.

During an interview with The New York Times Magazine, Downey Jr. discloses his pivotal movies from the last 25 years, which surprisingly exclude any mention of the MCU. Instead, he highlights The Shaggy Dog and Dolittle as his noteworthy works. Below, you can find the actor's complete response and elucidation.

I completed my contract with Marvel and immediately jumped into another potential franchise with Doolittle. However, I had some reservations. My team and I were overly enthusiastic about the deal without considering the execution. Nevertheless, I felt invincible at that point, as I was considered an expert in genre movies. The two most significant films I've worked on in the past 25 years were The Shaggy Dog, which convinced Disney to insure me, and Doolittle, which was a missed opportunity that caused immense stress for my wife as she worked tirelessly to salvage it. This experience led us to reassess our priorities and make changes in our closest business advisors.

During this time, my father was also passing away. As a way to distract myself, I sent crews to capture his thoughts on his final years, resulting in Sr., which is perhaps the most important thing I will ever do. It allowed me to be both an object and subject within a piece of content, which held deep meaning for me. Then, Chris Nolan approached me, and witnessing his disciplined and minimalist approach to filmmaking felt like exploring the unknown. So, to answer your question, I thrive on challenging myself by engaging with someone more skilled in martial arts.

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Source: The New York Times Magazine