1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,600
Speaker 1: When you think about Robert Downey Junior, maybe you think

2
00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,840
Speaker 1: about his earlier flicks like Air America or Chaplain, What

3
00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,840
Speaker 1: a great movie. But you probably think about his title

4
00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,720
Speaker 1: role in the two thousand and eight flick Iron Man,

5
00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:15,280
Speaker 1: in which he played Tony Stark, and after that all

6
00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:19,000
Speaker 1: the Iron Man roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But

7
00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:22,160
Speaker 1: in between those two halves of his career, he was

8
00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,599
Speaker 1: a heroin addict who spent time in prison. I'm Patti Steele.

9
00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:31,120
Speaker 1: Robert Downey Junior remakes his life. That's next on the backstory.

10
00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,800
Speaker 1: The backstory is back. Robert Downey Junior began life as

11
00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,839
Speaker 1: a Hollywood insider, sort of. He was actually born in

12
00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:46,279
Speaker 1: New York City on April fourth, nineteen sixty five. His

13
00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,199
Speaker 1: dad was the avant garde filmmaker Robert Downey Senior, and

14
00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:55,360
Speaker 1: his mom actress Elsie Ann Ford. His childhood was completely unconventional.

15
00:00:55,480 --> 00:00:58,640
Speaker 1: He grew up on his father's film sets, where Robert

16
00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,800
Speaker 1: Senior was immersed in the counterculture of the nineteen seventies.

17
00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:05,640
Speaker 1: They moved from New York City several places in New

18
00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,840
Speaker 1: York City to Woodstock, New York, to Connecticut, and then

19
00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:12,839
Speaker 1: to New Mexico, finally heading back to California. All before

20
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,560
Speaker 1: Robert was in high school. His mother was an alcoholic

21
00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,720
Speaker 1: and his father a drug addict who wanted to include

22
00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,520
Speaker 1: his son in everything he did. Robert Junior's first movie

23
00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,280
Speaker 1: role at the age of five was in his dad's

24
00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:30,240
Speaker 1: movie Pound, where he played a puppy about to be euthanized.

25
00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,760
Speaker 1: He had appearances in seven more of his father's flicks

26
00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,920
Speaker 1: over the years, but his dad was also the ultimate

27
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,880
Speaker 1: party guy, and he wanted to include his son in

28
00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:43,399
Speaker 1: that part of his life as well. Robert Junior told

29
00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,440
Speaker 1: a story about how his dad frequently left him a

30
00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,280
Speaker 1: bit of pot on the nightstand next to his bed,

31
00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:52,960
Speaker 1: letting him know it was a gift because he loved him.

32
00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,280
Speaker 1: Robert Junior was eight the first time his dad did that.

33
00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,560
Speaker 1: By the mid nineteen eighties, he was a member of

34
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,840
Speaker 1: them from his Hollywood bratpack, making movies like Weird Science,

35
00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,160
Speaker 1: Back to School, and Less Than Zero. In nineteen eighty five,

36
00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,560
Speaker 1: he became a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live,

37
00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,040
Speaker 1: just for a year or so, and during all this time,

38
00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,120
Speaker 1: as his star was rising, he became more and more

39
00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:21,680
Speaker 1: of a major partier. By the nineteen nineties, he was

40
00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,640
Speaker 1: making a ton of movies like Chaplain, but he was

41
00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,560
Speaker 1: also going in and out of rehab and occasionally jail.

42
00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,880
Speaker 1: Then in June of nineteen ninety six, Robert was speeding

43
00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,280
Speaker 1: down Sunset Boulevard in LA when cops pulled him over.

44
00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,919
Speaker 1: They searched his car and they found heroin, cocaine, and crack,

45
00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,960
Speaker 1: along with an unloaded three point fifty seven magnum handgun.

46
00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:48,839
Speaker 1: He was hauled in charged with drug possession and DUI.

47
00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,160
Speaker 1: He only was sentenced to probation with mandatory drug testing,

48
00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,240
Speaker 1: but just a month after that, he pulled a really

49
00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:01,119
Speaker 1: crazy stunt. He trespassed into a neighbour's house while high

50
00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,640
Speaker 1: and fell asleep in their child's bed, and of course

51
00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:09,320
Speaker 1: the media piled on. Despite court ordered rehab, the next year,

52
00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,480
Speaker 1: he missed a mandatory drug test and he got six

53
00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:16,520
Speaker 1: months in the La County jail. Then in nineteen ninety nine,

54
00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,200
Speaker 1: there was another missed drug test. This time he got

55
00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,320
Speaker 1: a three year sentence at a state prison and treatment facility.

56
00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,720
Speaker 1: His lawyers, including attorney to the stars Robert Shapiro remember

57
00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,120
Speaker 1: him from the oj trial, tried to get the sentence eased,

58
00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,920
Speaker 1: but Robert was locked up. After fifteen months, he was

59
00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:40,400
Speaker 1: granted early release plus parole and probation, and he launched

60
00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,440
Speaker 1: himself back into his career. He got a role in

61
00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,920
Speaker 1: the popular TV show Ally McBeal. He won a Golden

62
00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,240
Speaker 1: Globe for that, but he also fell off the wagon.

63
00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,600
Speaker 1: In November two thousand, Robert Downey Junior was arrested for

64
00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,400
Speaker 1: the last time in Palm Springs for possession of cocaine

65
00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,800
Speaker 1: and valium. A few months later, he was found wandering

66
00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:05,800
Speaker 1: barefoot and stoned in Culver City. That cost him his

67
00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:10,040
Speaker 1: job on Ally McBeal, and he seemed headed downhill. He

68
00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:13,120
Speaker 1: decided he was going to get serious about getting sober.

69
00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:18,160
Speaker 1: In later interviews, he said jail was the most dehumanizing

70
00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:21,960
Speaker 1: experience of his life. He said, imagine one day you're

71
00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,320
Speaker 1: sleeping in two thousand dollars a night hotel rooms and

72
00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:28,840
Speaker 1: the next day you're locked up in a penitentiary. It

73
00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:33,200
Speaker 1: changes your thinking about everything. But he said that experience

74
00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:37,480
Speaker 1: was pivotal in his journey toward recovery. So how did

75
00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,640
Speaker 1: he do it well? He says it was a multifaceted strategy,

76
00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:48,640
Speaker 1: including therapy, twelve step programs, meditation, yoga and certain kinds

77
00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,400
Speaker 1: of martial arts. He also credits his wife, Susan Levin,

78
00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:57,360
Speaker 1: who gave him an ultimatum about his sobriety. Finally, Robert

79
00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:01,040
Speaker 1: began to rebuild his life and career. Being cast as

80
00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,960
Speaker 1: Tony Stark in two thousand and eight's Iron Man solidified

81
00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,400
Speaker 1: his comeback and signaled his resilience. After that, he became

82
00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:14,120
Speaker 1: a lynchpin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, reprising the Ironman

83
00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:18,120
Speaker 1: role in ten films over the next ten years. In

84
00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,200
Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, he was named by Time magazine

85
00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:24,479
Speaker 1: as one of the one hundred most influential people in

86
00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:29,440
Speaker 1: the world. From twenty thirteen through twenty fifteen, Forbes listed

87
00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:32,840
Speaker 1: him as the highest paid actor in Hollywood. He's won

88
00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:36,640
Speaker 1: Golden Globes, Emmys, and BAFTA Awards, as well as an

89
00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:42,080
Speaker 1: Academy Award for twenty twenty three's Oppenheimer. His journey shows

90
00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,360
Speaker 1: us the possibility of overcoming even the most intense personal battles.

91
00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,440
Speaker 1: He continues to share his story in the hope of

92
00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,320
Speaker 1: inspiring other addicts find their own version of a sober lifestyle.

93
00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,520
Speaker 1: He says, a lot of folks struggle with their identity.

94
00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,120
Speaker 1: I feel like they never quite find their path and

95
00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,320
Speaker 1: that can often lead them back to the comfort of addiction.

96
00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,560
Speaker 1: He encourages them to focus on their goals and aspirations

97
00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,880
Speaker 1: and to be grateful for every experience and what it

98
00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,680
Speaker 1: can teach you about yourself and your personal strength. Not

99
00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:17,760
Speaker 1: everybody's a movie star, but there is a place for

100
00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:27,800
Speaker 1: all of us. You just gotta find it. I hope

101
00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:30,520
Speaker 1: you like the Backstory with Patty Steele. I would love

102
00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,240
Speaker 1: it if you would subscribe or follow for free to

103
00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:37,159
Speaker 1: get new episodes delivered automatically, and feel free to dm

104
00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:39,120
Speaker 1: me if you have a story you'd like me to cover.

105
00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,720
Speaker 1: On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele.

106
00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:49,520
Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia,

107
00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:53,680
Speaker 1: Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions.

108
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,599
Speaker 1: Our producer is Doug Fraser, our writer Jay Kushner. We

109
00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,080
Speaker 1: have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to

110
00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,120
Speaker 1: reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions

111
00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,600
Speaker 1: on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at

112
00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,440
Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the back Story with

113
00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:14,000
Speaker 1: Patty Steele. The pieces of history you didn't know you

114
00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:14,680
Speaker 1: needed to know.