“Wow, he’s kinda amazing”: Robert Downey Jr. Was Starstruck After Seeing Timothée Chalamet
Robert Downey Jr is one of the biggest Hollywood icons ever. Fresh out of his Avengers suit, he swooned over Golden Globe, winning Best Supporting Actor for Oppenheimer, and is rumored to be in the running for Oscars. This two-time Academy Award nominee would give anyone in the industry a run for their money, even at 58 years old.
However, even after being an industry veteran with so much success and recognition, Downey Jr is not above getting starstruck still. In fact, in a recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel, he opened up about how he became awestruck seeing Timothée Chalamet at the Golden Globe.
Robert Downey Jr Opens Up About The Celebrity Who Left Him Completely Starstruck
Robert Downey Jr is one of the most down-to-earth icons in Hollywood and he never fails to lose his sense of humor while being an amazing human being overall. This Marvel alumni appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on January 10 and went on to talk about his Golden Globe experience and being struck by the stardom of Timothée Chalamet.
Also Read: Robert Downey Jr. Credits One of His Biggest Flop Movie For His Oppenheimer Success
He went on to describe how Chalamet had a sequin outfit on and he could not stop himself from going
“Wow, he is amazing.”
Jimmy Kimmel then cheekily quipped that there are not many people like Timothée Chalamet in the industry; “he is kind of like a unicorn.” He proceeded to ask if young stars like Chalamet come to Robert Downey Jr for advice regarding their careers, and Robert Downey Jr said in his signature humorous style that he occasionally does and feels like he is training his replacements.
“Looking at them, I am like, wow, you are young and super talented. Hi, I am grandpa.”
Timothée Chalamet is an American and French actor who rose to prominence with Luca Guadagnino’s coming-of-age film Call Me by Your Name. It kick-started his career with an Academy Award nomination. He then proceeded to appear in Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed Lady Bird and Little Women. He again gained massive respect from critics with his portrayal of a young cannibal in Guadagnino’s romantic horror film, Bones and All. His recent movie was the much-anticipated Paul King’s musical Wonka, which was a smash hit at the box office.
Robert Downey Jr Feels His Best Performance As Iron Man Went Unnoticed Due To People’s Bias Toward The Superhero Genre
Robert Downey Jr played the role of Iron Man in the MCU for 11 years before surrendering his suit with Avengers: Endgame. His performance as the “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” became a pop culture phenomenon and was touted by both the audience and the critics. Iron Man (2008) launched the first major success of the MCU and he continued to remain one of the most popular Avengers of his time. Given how much he has contributed to the role, it is understandable why he would be dismayed by the lack of appreciation for his acting skills in Iron Man.
On the Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast, he opened up about how he felt his best work went unnoticed in Marvel because of the superhero genre.
“I felt so exposed after being in the cocoon of Marvel where I think I did some of the best work I will ever do, but it went a little bit unnoticed because of the genre.”
Also Read: Robert Downey Jr Blames Superhero Movies for His Iron Man Role Going “Unnoticed”
It is a significant debate that, despite contributing so much to the cinema, Marvel or DC movies are still not seen as “real cinema” or are often reduced to “theme parks” by eminent directors like Martin Scorsese. All of these comic book films take herculean effort and despite the general bias towards them, as of now, 10 Marvel and DC movies have won the Oscars. While the number is low given how much output they have given over the years, it still shows that comic book movies cannot be reduced to nothing.
Oppenheimer will stream on Peacock in February and the Iron Man movies are available to stream on Disney+.
