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Robert Downey Jr. is currently at the peak of Hollywood fame but he had a humble beginning in the industry. He kickstarted his career on Broadway as a teen actor and actively pursued a mainstream film role since 1983. His first lead role came only in 1987 with the movieThe Pick-up Artist. During this period, he became part of the new, younger cast hired forSaturday Night Livein 1985.
WhileSNLis a career starter for many talented artists, Downey Jr.’s appearance in the show is not something that often comes up in discussions. It is because that ‘Downey Jr. season’ was one of the worst seasons of the show. Most of the cast, including theIron Manactor, was replaced after that season.
Robert Downey Jr.’sSNLRole Made Him Realize For the First Time That He Was An In-Demand Actor
WhenRolling Stoneranked the cast members ofSNLin 2015, they placedRobert Downey Jr.as the worst among the 145 cast members. They stated,“Downey Fail sums up everything that makes SNL great.”It is no wonder that no one attributesSNLas one of the factors contributing to Downey Jr.’s career success.
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But the Oscar-winning actor shared thatSNLplayed a crucial role in building his career. During a recent interview withAwards Chatter, a podcast from THR, Downey Jr. was asked about hisSNLexperience. The host shared that it was a dream for many actors today but it may not have been the case for him. However, Downey Jr. responded that he actually adored the show.
Downey Jr. shared that the experience in the eighth season of the show taught him great things about a different medium. He creditedLorne Michaelsfor what he had learned and expressed gratitude to have shared the screen with the likes of Jon Lovitz and Anthony Michael Hall. He was also doing the filmBack to Schoolsimultaneously.
While juggling his career between the film andSNL, he realized for the first time thathe was an in-demand actorin the industry. Downey Jr. shared with theAwards Chatterpodcast:
I absolutely adored it. You could say one of my next great education in an entirely different medium was Lorne Michaels. I got to be there with Jon Lovitz and I got to be there with Anthony Michael Hall, who got me the audition. I was shooting Back to School intermittently but doing the show.
They timed it out pretty well. That was probably the first point in my young life, I am 20, where I said, ‘Wow. I have got two jobs and I’ve to accommodate them because both of these entities wanted me on their variety show or in their film.’
During the show, Downey Jr. did the impressions of legends like Elvis Presley, George Michael, John Cougar Mellencamp, John Oates, Julian Lynch, Paul Simon, and Sean Penn. Interestingly, Robert Downey Jr. made the show proud by becoming the first cast member to win an Academy Award.
Robert Downey Jr. Had Some Self Introspection AfterSNL
Robert Downey Jr. never returned toSNLagain after that 1985 season. During an interview with Sam Jones ofThe Off-Camera Show, theOppenheimeractor shared that he learned a lot about himself after the show. He shared that he wasnot a spontaneous comedianwho could come up with a catchphrase or do the perfect impressions.
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He shared that he was ill-suited for rapid-fire sketch comedy and he had zero experience in improv. It appeared that the actor struggled during the show as he shared withThe Off-Camera Show:
I learnt so much in that year about what I wasn’t. I was not somebody who was going to come up with a catchphrase. I was not somebody who was going to do impressions. I was somebody who was very ill-suited for rapid fire sketch comedy. I was not of that ilk of The Groundlings or any…I’d never been part of any improv group. So, I was kind of like, ‘Wow! This seems really hard, like a lot of work.’
Tony Stark’s humor may have been something that the actor caught on from his brief time on the show. Fans may not get to see this humorous side when he returns to the MCU in the upcomingAvengers: Doomsdayas Dr. Doom.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
