Robert Downey Jr. is known and loved for his bold characters and his witty humour. But there was a time Iron Man was covered in rust.
Born in Manhattan, 1965, to acting parents he grew up surrounded by drugs. His addicted father kicked off Robert’s marijuana habit at the age of six.
His nascent career began acting alongside his father and drugs became expression of their emotional bond. Robert became an addict at the age of 8 and in his early 20s he was taking drugs regularly. When presented with the opportunity to play a junkie in Less than Zero (1987) he simply got himself too deep into character.
As his career ascended, so did his addiction - being arrested several times for possession of cocaine and heroin and even an unloaded gun, eventually spending time in jail.
Even after his release in 2001, he wasn’t free from addiction but finally decided to take action. In 2003 he checked himself into therapy. He followed a 12-step programme. Through yoga and meditation, he began to turn himself around.
Sober since 2003, his career got a new spin as the Hollywood super hero we all know.
His mantra? “If I am not on my side, why should anybody else be?”
Have a great day,
Andrew
