Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Letterman
Topics: Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer, Iron Man, Hollywood, Film and TV, Drugs
Callum Jones
Topics: Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer, Iron Man, Hollywood, Film and TV, Drugs
Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most successful people in Hollywood right now, but it hasn't been all plain sailing.
If you grew up watching Downey Jr. in the mid to late noughties, you would have seen nothing but a global superstar.
He rose to fame with two iconic roles: Tony Stark, A.K.A Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes.
Of course, there are other roles the actor has been involved with but they are certainly the stand out.
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Earlier this year, Downey Jr. bagged his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his memorable role playing Lewis Stauss in Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer.
But that rise to fame has certainly not been an easy one for Downey Jr as he has previously struggled with a drug addiction.
And a 1996 interview certainly remained synonymous with the Oppenheimer actor for a while, as he appeared to be 'on cocaine' at the time.
It has recently resurfaced.
Speaking on the Late Show hosted by David Letterman, Downey Jr. spoke about playing ping pong with Tom Cruise.
I think all those watching at home could tell Downey Jr. was under the influence of drugs, as well as Letterman presenting.
Downey Jr.'s drug addiction got him into a lot of trouble as well, as Downey Jr. was arrested several times in the mid 90s to early 2000s 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.
The 59-year-old has previously detailed how he had been addicted to drugs since he was eight-years-old and had even done them with his father growing up.
"When my dad and I would do drugs together, it was like him trying to express his love for me in the only way he knew how," he said in an interview with The New Breed.
And the actor was sentenced to three years in prison in 1999 after missing a required drug test.
However, after spending nearly a year in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State, Downey Jr. was freed.
The actor then had a chance to rebuild his life, and didn't he just.
After claiming that coveted Oscar earlier this year, many on social media dubbed his career as the 'comeback of a lifetime' and a testament to what can be achieved no matter what you may have gone through.
In fact, Downey Jr. even referenced his troubled past during his Academy Awards acceptance speech.
"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."