Featured Image Credit: Getty/John Shearer / Contributor
Topics: Robert Downey Jr, Oscars, Oppenheimer
Gerrard Kaonga
Topics: Robert Downey Jr, Oscars, Oppenheimer
Robert Downey Jr.’s latest accomplishment is likely going to be one of his most memorable as it represents just how far he has come.
If you grew up watching Robert Downey Jr. in the mid to late Noughties, you would be forgiven for thinking he'd always been a global superstar actor.
He won the hearts of many in two of his most iconic roles as Tony Stark, A.K.A Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes, and who could forget his role in Tropic Thunder as a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude.
His acting career appeared to come to a crescendo in this year’s Academy awards ceremony, as he bagged his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, playing Lewis Stauss in Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer.
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However, Downey Jr. wasn't always so successful.
For those aware of his work in the 80s and 90s, many had written the young actor off as a bad egg.
In the mid 90s to early 2000s, Downey was was arrested several times over charges relating to his drug use and addiction.
He had repeatedly gone through drug treatment programs for his addiction to cocaine, heroin and marijuana.
He had previously told a judge: “It's like I have a shotgun in my mouth, and I've got my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gun metal.”
Downey also explained that he had been addicted to drugs since he was eight years old and had even done them with his father growing up.
After missing a required drug test in 1999, the actor was even sentenced to a three-year prison stint and things looked like they were all going downhill.
However, after spending nearly a year in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State, Downey was freed and seemed determined to getting his life back on track.
The actor did just that and went on to star in some of his best work yet, finally landing him with the most coveted acting award.
Many on social media remarked this as the 'comeback of a lifetime' and a testament to what can be achieved through perseverance.
During his acceptance speech, Downey even alluded to his troubled past and thanked those that believed in him anyway.
"I'd like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order,” he joked.
He then added: "I'd like to thank my veterinarian — I meant wife — Susan Downey over there.
"She found me, a snarling rescue pet, and loved me back to life. That's why I am here. Thank you."