The life story of Robert Downey Jr. is truly inspiring and teaches you that you can only be your own savior.
People rise out of the ashes because, at some point, they are invested with a belief in the possibility of triumph over seemingly impossible odds.โ Robert Downey Jr.
From being trapped in a rut of drug abuse to swirling in the fatal road of jeopardizing his proliferous career; he gave back to back high profile blockbusters before consistently securing himself as a superstar.
Robert Downey Jr. is currently one of the most demandable and highly paid actors in the show business. He won millions of fanโs hearts and accolades from critiques and filmmakers for his performance.
A star is born.
Downey was born in Manhattan, New York, the younger of two children. His film career started at the tender age of 5 years when he first made his acting debut in his father Robert Downey Sr.โs film, playing a sick puppy in the absurdist comedy Pound (1970).
His father, a drug addict, allowed Downey to use marijuana at age six. Downey later revealed that the drug abuse became a basis for emotional attachment between him and his father:
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. – Robert Downey Jr.
In 1984, he met Sarah Jessica and dated her for 7 years before his drug addiction took a toll on his relationship and she left him.
The Rise and fall of the star.
In 1987, Downey gave a memorable performance in the film adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel Less Than Zero, playing a rich kid whose life went off the rails amid a severe heroin addiction. Downeyโs off-screen life would soon uncannily resemble the role.
His career seemed to have an upward trajectory until 1996, when he was arrested for drunk driving in possession of heroin and fire arm.
Gradually, he completely lost control over his addiction. A month later, while on parole, he trespassed into a neighbourโs home while under the influence of a substance and fell asleep in one of their beds.
He received 3 year probation with the order of undergoing regular drug test. In 1997, he had to spend six months in the Los Angeles County jail for missing one drug test.
In 1999, he was again sentenced to 3 years of jail for missing the drug tests. All his big projects were ceased. He was hired for voicing the devil on the NBC animated television series God, the Devil and Bob but was fired when he failed to show up for rehearsals.
“It’s like I’ve got a shotgun in my mouth, with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gun metal.” – Downey told the court explaining his addiction.
In jail, he spent a miserable time being violently attacked by his prison inmates. There were days, he stated, when he woke up in the pool of his own blood.
I would never tell you the worst things that have happened to me. – Robert Downey Jr.
Prison Culture is something thatโs hard to explain. Itโs opened my eyes to a lot. I think first it was just kind of a shock as I really. I donโt know why, but for some reason I expected that I was going somewhere and it was like, ‘The treatment center that is next to the prison.’ When I got here and it was like, it was a prison yard. Came here and I was like, โWow.โ You see razor wire fences, you see a lot of correctional officers. Some armed, some not. All of whose job basically, is to protect society from you for the time being. And that sends a message. Itโs not a self-esteem builder. I had to look at that too because I have been called a menace to society.
He married actress/singer Deborah Falconer in 1992, after a 42-day courtship. Even after being freed from jail, his life looked bleak as his wife left him with their son, in 2001.
The actor had no money, no family and he spent his days earning 8 cents an hour scrubbing pizza pans.
The superhero rises again.
In 2003, his life took a miraculous turn, when he met and fell in love with practical and resolute woman who entirely changed the outlook of his life. She had a huge contribution in helping him out of his drug abuse and addiction.
“I would never marry you, unless you give up drugs.” She warned him.
She rejected him till he was determined to recover from the drug addiction and finally they got married on August, 2005.
Another personโs huge contribution in bringing him back on screen was Mel Gibson.
Downey was able to return to the big screen after Mel Gibson, a close friend to Downey, paid Downey’s insurance bond for the 2003 film The Singing Detective.
The rest of the story is history.
Robert Downey Jr. : Itโs easy to embrace hopelessness when things seem insurmountable, and yet itโs actually just a matter of time, until all of the elements come together for things to be alright. I believe that itโs not that difficult to overcome these seemingly ghastly problems. You just have to.
Oprah: You are saying that itโs not that difficult?
Robert Downey Jr. : No. Whatโs hard is to decide. Most difficult situations will resolve themselves if you are persistent and if you donโt give up entirely. And thatโs what I did, I never gave up.
In spite of spending in and out of tabloids and rehabilitation centers, his acting skills helped him become one of most cherished actors. His will power and self-belief helped him again secure his position in Hollywood as an actor who the world loves, for resilience and never-ending charm.
Like a real-life superhero, he rose from near-defeat and conquered his own demons.
I think that we all do heroic things, but hero is not a noun, itโs a verb. โ Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. has seen the worst time of his life and has changed it, transformed it towards good. His will power and self-belief, helped him secure his position in Hollywood as an actor who the world loves.
Robertโs inspiring true life story of how Iron Man went from troubled teen to Tony Stark teaches us all one thing for sure:
Remember that just because you hit bottom doesnโt mean you have to stay there โ Robert Downey Jr.
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