“There were only threats”: Robert Downey Jr. Says Brutal 3 Years Prison Term Was “Over-sentenced by an angry judge”
Millions of fans around the world adore Robert Downey Jr., who is known for the many characters he has played over the years, but is best known for playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actor had to overcome many obstacles, including his struggle with substance abuse after serving time in prison, to achieve success. After overcoming every challenge in his path, Downey has reached a place where everyone is familiar with his name and everyone has great respect for his art and him as a person.
Robert Downey Jr. describes his prison sentence as the ‘worst thing’
Ironman actor Robert Downey Jr. appeared on the Armchair Expert podcast hosted by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. During the conversation, Shepard asked Downey about his time in prison and why he described that particular time as the worst thing that happened to him back in the late 1990s.
Downey said, “I’m gonna try to give you the flashcards: I’m in court, I’m being over-sentenced by an angry judge, and at some point he said something in Latin. And I thought he was casting a spell on me.” He continued, “Two weeks later, I’m in a place called Delano, which is a receiving center where they decide where you’re going to go. Arguably the most dangerous place I’ve ever been in my life because nobody is designated. If they’re a level 1, 2, 3 or 4 criminal, [everyone’s there]. You could just feel the evil in the air.”
The actor explained that it was kind of like just being in a neighborhood. Everyone is advised not to be at adding that there were no opportunities but there were only threats. He pointed out that if someone is in a place like that, then surely everyone is going to take their wallet, so watch it.
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Robert Downey Jr. discussed how he adjusted to the situation
The actor continued to share his time in prison with podcast hosts and after he was transferred he felt like he was stepping out of the facility for the first time. He added, “Walking onto the yard that you’re gonna be doing more than a year on for the first time, the closest thing I can associate it with is being sent to a distant planet where there is no way home until the planets align.”
Downey, however, said that after two weeks in prison, he had found a pattern, which somehow helped him adjust to the situation. He explained to Shepard and Padman that they were programmed to, and in a short amount of time, he was able to adjust to seemingly impossible things.
He added that there are way worse things that could have happened to him than him being sent to an institution by far. The actor also noted that, however, one can only go for what they know and he would imagine if he had to go through it, going to prison was the worst thing that had happened to him.
On asking about the culture inside the prison, the actor stated, “As long as you have a willingness to do harm, it is unlikely that you will be targeted. It really is that thing about what is the difference between acting like you’re willing to do harm and being willing to do harm.”
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Why was Robert Downey Jr. sentenced?
Back in 1996, the Oppenheimer actor was arrested and then charged with drug and weapon charges, which was followed by a parole violation, and was sentenced in 1999 to three years in California’s Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison. Downey had failed to undergo court-ordered drug tests stemming from a 1996 cocaine possession charge.
However, Downey was allowed to leave after a year in 2000 and checked himself into a rehab center. There, he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for many years before achieving sobriety in 2003. He admitted that he had struggled with substance abuse since he was just 6 years old. The actor was detained once more in Culver City in 2001 after being suspected of using drugs, and he was given a three-year probationary term and a one-year drug rehabilitation program.
Downey admitted that after his wife gave him an ultimatum, he decided to throw his drugs into the ocean close to a Burger King on the Pacific Coast Highway to get clean. During his time as governor of California in 2015, Jerry Brown pardoned the actor from his convictions.
Source: NY Post
