Robert Downey Jr.- Iron Man Forever!

                Every person has his/her list of inspirational individuals; who is a like a role model to you, whose life you find highly influencing, whose achievements encourage you to move forward and whose actions and decisions stimulate yours!

                One of the many such individuals for me is Mr. Robert Downey Jr.! Yes, the same guy who portrays Tony Stark or rather Iron Man in the Iron Man trilogy and Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes series!

                Robert Downey Jr., born in the year 1970, is the son of Robert Downey Sr., an actor, director and producer, and Elsie, an actress. He was a star kid and he started his career as a child artist in his father’s movie at the age of five. As a teenager, he studied Performing Arts at school. Eventually, at seventeen, he dropped out of school and moved to New York alone to pursue acting as a full-time career.

                He started with theatre, then television series, later playing sidekicks in certain movies. He backed his first lead role in “The Pick-up Artist”. In 1987, he played a role of a drug-addict rich boy in “Less Than Zero”, a performance which was widely praised. This performance resulted to roles in many bigger budget movies. Eventually in 1992, he played Charlie Chaplin in “Chaplin”. He earned an Academy Award nomination for this role. His run in Hollywood extended in the 90’s with many other movies, none being note-worthy.

                From 1996 to 2001, he was arrested numerous times for drug related charges including cocaine, heroin and marijuana. In 1996, he was arrested for possession of heroin and cocaine and sentenced to three years of probation. He missed his compulsory tests in 1997 and 1999 and was sentenced to prison term. The movies featuring him were shelved and cancelled. He went to several drug treatment programs unsuccessfully, explaining: “It’s like I’ve got a shotgun in my mouth with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of gun metal.” He was released in 2000 on bail. Again in 2001, he was arrested for having cocaine in his system. As opposed to earlier, Downey pleaded to be sent to drug rehabilitation, avoiding jail time. He spent the year overcoming his addictions and helping the other offenders for the same. His movies were cancelled, rescheduled or given a new face.

                Downey attributed his drug addiction to his father who was also a drug addict. His father allowed him marijuana at the age of six!  Downey stated that drugs became the only emotional bond between him and his father: “When my dad and I used to do drugs together, it was like him expressing his love in a way only he knew.”  Drugs made him get divorced from his wife, who took custody of their only son, after about a decade of married life.

                After starting a drug-free life in 2003, he struggled with movies and television. He tried his voice in singing by releasing his own album, but it failed to garner any recognition. Till 2005, he did certain movies but none of his performances made him elevate to the level. He married the producer of his 2003 movie “Gothika”, whom he credits for helping him kick his drug and alcohol habits, in 2005.

                    

His real comeback of sorts came in 2007 when he was signed for the lead role of “Iron Man” and prepared for it. The movie released in 2008 earning over 300 million dollars. This resulted in him portraying the same character in “Iron Man 2” and recently released “Avengers”! Downey also featured in “Tropic Thunder” in 2008 which gave him an Academy Award nomination for supporting actor. In 2010, he played the suave detective Sherlock Holmes in the “Sherlock Holmes” and followed it with “Sherlock Holmes: A game of Shadows”. He won a Golden globe for his performance as Sherlock Holmes. His golden run in Hollywood still goes on.

                I don’t know if anyone else would find his life inspiring, but I do! For the basic reason that being administered drugs at the age of six, where practically children have no sense to categorize between wrong and right, and leading a life with drugs for a long span of life, Robert Downey Jr.’s transformation from a  troubled young actor to a flamboyant and charismatic hero now, is remarkable! After a spurt of arrests and jail term, no movies to do, failed marriage, loneliness and a rusty image at hand, he outgrew everything to rise to the higher scale!

                If you actually observe him, or rather listen to his interviews, you will find that Robert Downey Jr. is no ordinary man. He speaks like an achiever! His personality is highly attractive making him likeable as a person. The confidence he bestows in his performances, press conferences and interviews is magnificent and unparallel. His journey from the struggles of being an actor to getting known to being confined in prison cells and rooms of rehab to, eventually, the list of top actors by TIME magazine is worth a Salute!

                He provides a perfect example that life doesn’t stop after it has hit a bottom. In fact, it provides a platform to rise to higher pinnacles! He also conveys that there can always be a second innings to life, provided you decide and strive to take it up.

                “Life ain’t about how hard you hit….. It’s about how hard you get hit and keep moving forward….. How much you can take and keep moving forward…. That’s how WINNING is done!” For me, Robert Downey Jr. is an illustration of this quote.

                He once quoted: “Look, even bad years are pretty good years, I think! I think, I’ve been lucky, being my frequent appearances on Court TV have bought me to another level than just the actor guy!”  

                Robert Downey Jr., indeed, showed and continues to show the world that it is completely sane to be born insane!