Jeremy Latcham, an Iron Man associate producer, has disclosed some of the most bizarre aspects from Robert Downey Jr.’s screen test for the role of Tony Stark in the Marvel Studios picture.

A Dramatic Entrance

Marvel
The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

For Abrams Books’ The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Latcham detailed the experience.

 “A Mercedes comes pulling up at nine hundred miles an hour. It had a dancing hula-hoop girl on the dashboard. This huge dude covered in tattoos with a long beard, crazy glasses, and a hat — who is Robert Downey Jr.’s right-hand man, Jimmy Rich — gets out, walks around, and opens up the door.” Downey came, dressed in a purple three-piece suit with a large scarf, according to Latcham. “He swings the scarf over his shoulder and goes, ‘Young man, which way to hair and makeup?’ I was like, ‘Holy sh–. What just happened?'”

The Perfect Take!

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Iron Man 2008
Downey arrived at the Iron Man set after getting his hair and cosmetics done. “He does one take and the entire crew bursts into applause. Boom! Tony Stark’s here!” Latcham stated. Downey hadn’t screen-tested for a job since he played iconic filmmaker and comedian Charlie Chaplin in director Richard Attenborough’s 1992 biopic Chaplin, which is why he took his Iron Man audition seriously and went all-in. “But Robert’s got a work ethic that’s beyond anybody else that I’ve ever worked with,” Rich added. “It’s inspiring. I’ve seen him bear down, but not as he did for this.”
“I saw it recently and, you know, it’s good,” said Downey, with regard to his Iron Man screen test. “But there was a lot more going on, I think than just the fact that one day went well. [Iron Man director] Jon [Favreau] was really looking for a partner, and [Marvel Studios President] Kevin [Feige] was wrestling with the idea of ‘Do you cast against type? Do you make interesting, head-scratching, maybe-they’re-on-to-something casting decisions?'”
Downey would go on to win critical praise for his portrayal of Tony Stark, a billionaire weapons manufacturer turned superhero, in Iron Man, which was released in 2008 and effectively created the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After revisiting the role in many sequels, Avengers films, post-credit scenes, and more, Downey brought his ten-year stint as Tony to a finale with Tony’s selfless sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame.
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