Robert Downey Jr. feared that Tropic Thunder (2008) could ruin the career he had just rebuilt with Iron Man. Playing Kirk Lazarus meant embodying a white actor who darkened his skin to play a Black soldier, a role that could easily turn into a disaster.
But the script convinced him. He also wanted to work with Ben Stiller and Jack Black, and was especially fascinated by Stiller, whom he compared to a modern-day Charlie Chaplin for his ability to write, direct, and star.
Years later, he recounted that 90% of his Black friends told him: “Dude, that was great”. In other words, he only lost 10%, because the gamble he was most worried about ended up being one of the most celebrated performances of his career: it earned him an Oscar nomination.🎬
