Robert Downey Jr. has long been open about his struggles with drug addiction.
But now he's revealed more details on how he first started using them, and how his dad was the one who introduced him to them.
The 57-year-old was just six when his father, Robert Downey Sr, offered him his first hit.
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At the time, his father saw the child taking a sip from a glass of white wine whilst he was playing poker at their family home in New York.
Instead of taking the glass away from six-year-old Robert, his father handed him a joint and told him he could puff on it instead of drinking alcohol.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Robert Sr. said: “We were all sitting around, smoking grass and playing poker down in the old West Village loft, and Robert was staring at me kind of funny—Robert was always an observer of it all, even at a very young age. And I go, ‘You know, you ought to try a little of this instead of drinking'.
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“I passed him a joint. And suddenly I knew I had made a terrible, stupid mistake…Giving a little kid a toke of grass just to be funny,” he admitted.
The Putney Swope director’s unconventional approach to parenting would eventually lead his child to run into issues with substance abuse and legal problems, before overcoming his past and becoming the world’s highest paid actor.
After his son grew up, Robert Sr - who died in July 2021 - revealed that he made ‘a terrible, stupid mistake’ by allowing his son to take drugs at such a tender age. But a new documentary shows that this wasn’t the only bad parenting mistake he made.
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He also took his child along to watch X-rated movies and casted him in his own ‘absurdist’ movies from the age of five, which were worlds away from being child-friendly.
Robert Jr even admitted himself that his childhood meant ‘growing up in a family where everyone was doing drugs.’
In the new Netflix documentary, Sr., the Iron Man star details his disturbing home life with his father and his unorthodox childhood.
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The movie sheds light on the troubled, but strong actor, who admitted to a judge that his father had established his drug addiction, and ensured that he was hooked since just eight years old.
Referring to his upbringing, in the documentary - which was released in November - Downey Jr says: “I think we would be remiss not to discuss its effect on me.”
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can talk to FRANK. You can call 0300 123 6600, text 82111 or contact through their website 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, or livechat from 2pm-6pm any day of the week
Topics: Drugs, Robert Downey Jr, Film and TV