Why Saturday Night Live Kicked Out Robert Downey Jr?
Robert Downey Jr. has seen it all in his personal and professional life, from the highs to lows, and success to failure. First introduced to drugs at a very young age by his father, Downey Jr. has struggled greatly with his drug addiction. Struggle was a part of Downey Jr.’s life from the beginning and escalated when his parents divorced and Downey went to live with his father.
Downey made a comeback in his life and career after years of substance abuse, cases of relapse, and rehabilitation. Iron Man and Tropic Thunder were two of the blockbuster films of his career and were commercially successful too.
Early Career Trajectory of Robert Downey Jr.
The American actor and producer’s career has been characterized by offscreen troubles that significantly threatened his career. But since a decade, his personal and professional growth has got him to the top of his fame and also on Hollywood’s A-list.
It has not been an easy journey for Robert Downey Jr., from being a school dropout to becoming the founding member of the Avengers, after making his acting debut at five with his father’s film, Pound.
From there, he became the Forbes highest-paid Hollywood actor and one of the 100 most influential people worldwide. His role as Chaplin in Charlie Chaplin was much appraised and won him numerous accolades. But from 1996 to 2001, again, it wasn’t a pleasant phase for Downey Jr. due to the legal troubles and multiple drug arrests.
Also, read- Before Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr Nearly Stole Another Major Role From Tom Cruise in $1.8 Billion Franchise.
Robert Downey Jr. Canned from Saturday Night Live
In the early 80s, Downey attended Santa Monica High, where his classmates were future superstars Sean Penn, Rob Lowe, and Emilio Estevez; still, his academic journey over there was short-lived, only for two years, and at 16, Downey dropped out to engage in full-time acting.
He then decided to return to his mother in New York and soon after got a couple of roles in small productions. He even entered a relationship with his 18-year-old co-star Sarah Jessica Parker from the drama Firstborn.
In 1985, Downey, at the age of 20, got an opportunity of joining the cast for the 11th season of Saturday Night Live. The show’s ratings and quality had seen a consistent downfall in the absence of producer Lorne Michaels. Besides Robert Downey Jr., the new cast included Dennis Miller, Jon Lovitz, and Anthony Michael Hall. Despite being individually talented, the cast failed to gel with each other, and by the end of the season, Downey Jr. joined the list of actors to be sacked from the show.
Source: Insider
