Robert Downey Junior is one of the most popular and well paid actors on the plant,
thanks to his Iconic portrayal of Iron Man.
But it wasn’t an overnight success story, as we all know that he fell victim to drugs and alcohol
and was at one point on the cusp of being completely exiled from Hollywood.
However, what people might not realise is that love was possibly the reason for his addiction,
with the actor associating it with drugs for so long So what was it that brought Robert back to
life, or should we say who? Stay tuned as we uncover how love turned out to be his biggest
downfall and yet the only thing that could save him and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel.
Hollywood’s history with child stars has proven that no one can be surprised when a
child who grew up in the business eventually resorts to drugs and alcohol. But what makes
Downey’s case both fascinating and tragic is that he already had an
intense history of substance abuse before he even tried his hand at acting.
This was all, unfortunately, thanks to the first-person Downey loved, his father.
His father, Robert Downey Senior is a Hollywood filmmaker, actor, and producer. Must have been
nice to grow up right in the epicenter of the movie business, but regrettably, filmmaking
wasn’t the only thing that Downey grew up with. To his future dismay Downey Junior was introduced to
drugs at a very early age. It was no surprise that Downey Junior decided to live with his father,
after his parents divorced, hoping he would have a better chance of making it in Hollywood. However,
this turned out to be the catalyst for his long and strenuous battle with drugs and alcohol.
It would seem that Downey Junior was doomed from the start as his dad was already heavily
struggling with substance abuse by the time his son was born. Believe it or not, Downey
Junior already got his first taste of marijuana when he was only six years old. Yea, you heard
right… six years old. His father admitted that he gave his son a joint one day as a joke. He said,
“you ought to try a little of this instead of drinking.” And so, he did… over and over again.
If only Downey Senior knew how seriously his son would take his advice.
According to the actor, Marijuana was as much of a staple in their house as rice was.
Clearly Robert Downey Senior wasn’t all that prepared to be a father as the only
way he thought he could bond with his son was through the use of drugs and alcohol.
In a 1988 interview Downey Junior said, “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.” With that kind of mindset,
you can’t blame the actor for connecting drugs and alcohol to love, it was all he
knew. He was taught to express love and create meaningful relationships through substance abuse,
ironically leading to his tarnation. When Robert Downey Junior would seek love all he
would find is self-destruction and so falling victim to the same substances as his dad.
In his twenties, Downey would go on to star in many successful films while under the influence
of drugs and alcohol. Never wanting to take the easy option, the actor took on one of his hardest
acting challenges to date, playing the less than glamorous Julian Wells in the film Less Than Zero
in 1987. Robert played a kid who got handed everything by his father and fell victim to
drugs and alcohol, destroying his life in more ways than one. Talk about life imitating art!
Tragically no one realized the severity of the role and how close to home it would
hit the actor. His addiction deepened every day in preparation for the film.
The director of the film told Robert and his co-star Andrew McCarthy to go out and
get into some trouble, in order to have a better understanding of their characters.
In fact, he wanted Downey to get into so much trouble that Mcarthy would have to save him
by imitating what happens in the movie. True to form Downey got incredibly drunk and was
arrested for public indecency. And so he became an exaggeration of his character in real life.
People started to become more aware of Downey’s addiction, but Downey always managed to stay
somewhat professional and never let his addiction get in the way of his job, even when he showed up
high as a kite. It makes sense as to why the actor never thought to seek treatment through
his own accord as Hollywood was more worried about him getting the job done than his mental health.
Robert quickly became known as one of Hollywood’s most well-functioning addicts.
However, spectators predicted that sooner or later it would have to unravel, and so it did. But not
before Downey was cast in the role of his dreams which turned out to be a love that would save him,
but only for a short time. Few could believe that director
Richard Attenborough was dead set on casting Downey as Charlie Chaplin.
In fact, the studio was so against Downey that they backed out of the film, leaving Attenborough
to raise the money for the film himself. That kind of dedication and commitment was clearly
what Downey needed at the time because he decided to clean up his act for the film. He
completely threw himself into the role and the film credited him back as he received an Oscar
nomination. Downey thrives on challenges and although he played multiple roles post-Chaplin,
none of them pushed him like that. And so when Chaplin was over, so was his sobriety.
It was around the filming of Home For The Holidays that Downey appeared to be using again.
It went so far that director Jodie Foster staged a mini intervention for the actor
as she could see him unravel right before her eyes. Unfortunately, not even the birth of his
first child could lead him on the right track. Interesting to think that it was soon after the
birth of his son that he fell victim to heroin. Although he never gave any substances to his son,
it’s probably safe to say that Downey had no idea on how to have a functioning relationship with his
kid and so he resorted to the only thing he knew… Things got really bad when he started smoking
Heroin and freebasing cocaine. In 1996 he was arrested 3 times in one month.
Each charge was more bizarre than the previous one. Charges included possession and use of drugs,
possession of an unloaded handgun and the most infamous arrest was when he was found lying
unconscious in the bed of his neighbors’ daughter after breaking into their house.
After a court case Robert was forced to attend a locked-in clinic with a three-year probation
along with the warning that if he were to be arrested again, he would be going to prison.
And it was just a year later that Downey relapsed and found himself back in court
with a judge who had run out of patience. Downey was incarcerated for six months.
In an incredible fall from grace, Robert Downey Junior went from an
Oscar-nominated actor to inmate 505022 in under 5 years. He lost a lot of sympathy from
the public and there was little to no hope that he would be able to resurrect his reputation.
To the surprise of many, Downey was cast in the TV drama Ally Mcbeal after being released from
prison. Now, Robert has proven that he thrives on tests of his capacity but it seemed as though the
role didn’t test anything other than his patience. And in the absence of true love and a professional
challenge, Robert became restless and depressed. And so he went searching for comfort and fell off
the bandwagon… AGAIN... finding himself back in jail for his 5th charge of drug possession and
intoxication. He was fired from the sitcom and his wife at the time filed for divorce.
Robert had now truly hit rock bottom. With his career in shambles and his family gone
Robert knew he had to do something before he lost his life as well. He abandoned his addictions
and a path of flirtation to destruction as he focused on his recovery for good. This was when
life rewarded him by sending him a Guardian Angel in the form of producer Susan Levin.
A love that would finally save him and guide him through the legacy he’s known for today.
Although Levin was interested in Downey, she had a career of her own and refused to allow him to
derail her dreams. So instead of giving him chance after chance, she gave him an ultimatum. Lose the
drugs or lose me. She didn’t want to take care of him like everyone else, she treated him like an
adult and called him out on his demons. From that moment on, his relationship with her overtook his
relationship with drugs and alcohol. To this day Robert credits Susan and her love for him
for his recovery and as true partners, they kept on rising higher and higher together. And somehow
Downey was given another miracle as it seemed as though the public was still rooting for him
after all this time. People wanted him to succeed not just for Downey’s own good but as a victory
for the human spirit. Thank-you Susan Levin! There is no doubt that Robert Downey Junior is one
of Hollywood’s biggest comeback stories, but what makes this one greater than the rest? It’s love.
Love that both ruined and saved the star. His love from his father set him on a damaging path,
but luckily love was there to pick him back up and save him from his own self-destruction.
And thanks to love’s perseverance we don’t only know him as the great Iron Man, but also as one
of Hollywood’s highest-grossing actors of all time. Cheers to the comeback story of the ages.