Speaker 1: When you think about Robert Downey Junior, maybe you think
Speaker 1: about his earlier flicks like Air America or Chaplain, What
Speaker 1: a great movie. But you probably think about his title
Speaker 1: role in the two thousand and eight flick Iron Man,
Speaker 1: in which he played Tony Stark, and after that all
Speaker 1: the Iron Man roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But
Speaker 1: in between those two halves of his career, he was
Speaker 1: a heroin addict who spent time in prison. I'm Patti Steele.
Speaker 1: Robert Downey Junior remakes his life. That's next on the backstory.
Speaker 1: The backstory is back. Robert Downey Junior began life as
Speaker 1: a Hollywood insider, sort of. He was actually born in
Speaker 1: New York City on April fourth, nineteen sixty five. His
Speaker 1: dad was the avant garde filmmaker Robert Downey Senior, and
Speaker 1: his mom actress Elsie Ann Ford. His childhood was completely unconventional.
Speaker 1: He grew up on his father's film sets, where Robert
Speaker 1: Senior was immersed in the counterculture of the nineteen seventies.
Speaker 1: They moved from New York City several places in New
Speaker 1: York City to Woodstock, New York, to Connecticut, and then
Speaker 1: to New Mexico, finally heading back to California. All before
Speaker 1: Robert was in high school. His mother was an alcoholic
Speaker 1: and his father a drug addict who wanted to include
Speaker 1: his son in everything he did. Robert Junior's first movie
Speaker 1: role at the age of five was in his dad's
Speaker 1: movie Pound, where he played a puppy about to be euthanized.
Speaker 1: He had appearances in seven more of his father's flicks
Speaker 1: over the years, but his dad was also the ultimate
Speaker 1: party guy, and he wanted to include his son in
Speaker 1: that part of his life as well. Robert Junior told
Speaker 1: a story about how his dad frequently left him a
Speaker 1: bit of pot on the nightstand next to his bed,
Speaker 1: letting him know it was a gift because he loved him.
Speaker 1: Robert Junior was eight the first time his dad did that.
Speaker 1: By the mid nineteen eighties, he was a member of
Speaker 1: them from his Hollywood bratpack, making movies like Weird Science,
Speaker 1: Back to School, and Less Than Zero. In nineteen eighty five,
Speaker 1: he became a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live,
Speaker 1: just for a year or so, and during all this time,
Speaker 1: as his star was rising, he became more and more
Speaker 1: of a major partier. By the nineteen nineties, he was
Speaker 1: making a ton of movies like Chaplain, but he was
Speaker 1: also going in and out of rehab and occasionally jail.
Speaker 1: Then in June of nineteen ninety six, Robert was speeding
Speaker 1: down Sunset Boulevard in LA when cops pulled him over.
Speaker 1: They searched his car and they found heroin, cocaine, and crack,
Speaker 1: along with an unloaded three point fifty seven magnum handgun.
Speaker 1: He was hauled in charged with drug possession and DUI.
Speaker 1: He only was sentenced to probation with mandatory drug testing,
Speaker 1: but just a month after that, he pulled a really
Speaker 1: crazy stunt. He trespassed into a neighbour's house while high
Speaker 1: and fell asleep in their child's bed, and of course
Speaker 1: the media piled on. Despite court ordered rehab, the next year,
Speaker 1: he missed a mandatory drug test and he got six
Speaker 1: months in the La County jail. Then in nineteen ninety nine,
Speaker 1: there was another missed drug test. This time he got
Speaker 1: a three year sentence at a state prison and treatment facility.
Speaker 1: His lawyers, including attorney to the stars Robert Shapiro remember
Speaker 1: him from the oj trial, tried to get the sentence eased,
Speaker 1: but Robert was locked up. After fifteen months, he was
Speaker 1: granted early release plus parole and probation, and he launched
Speaker 1: himself back into his career. He got a role in
Speaker 1: the popular TV show Ally McBeal. He won a Golden
Speaker 1: Globe for that, but he also fell off the wagon.
Speaker 1: In November two thousand, Robert Downey Junior was arrested for
Speaker 1: the last time in Palm Springs for possession of cocaine
Speaker 1: and valium. A few months later, he was found wandering
Speaker 1: barefoot and stoned in Culver City. That cost him his
Speaker 1: job on Ally McBeal, and he seemed headed downhill. He
Speaker 1: decided he was going to get serious about getting sober.
Speaker 1: In later interviews, he said jail was the most dehumanizing
Speaker 1: experience of his life. He said, imagine one day you're
Speaker 1: sleeping in two thousand dollars a night hotel rooms and
Speaker 1: the next day you're locked up in a penitentiary. It
Speaker 1: changes your thinking about everything. But he said that experience
Speaker 1: was pivotal in his journey toward recovery. So how did
Speaker 1: he do it well? He says it was a multifaceted strategy,
Speaker 1: including therapy, twelve step programs, meditation, yoga and certain kinds
Speaker 1: of martial arts. He also credits his wife, Susan Levin,
Speaker 1: who gave him an ultimatum about his sobriety. Finally, Robert
Speaker 1: began to rebuild his life and career. Being cast as
Speaker 1: Tony Stark in two thousand and eight's Iron Man solidified
Speaker 1: his comeback and signaled his resilience. After that, he became
Speaker 1: a lynchpin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, reprising the Ironman
Speaker 1: role in ten films over the next ten years. In
Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, he was named by Time magazine
Speaker 1: as one of the one hundred most influential people in
Speaker 1: the world. From twenty thirteen through twenty fifteen, Forbes listed
Speaker 1: him as the highest paid actor in Hollywood. He's won
Speaker 1: Golden Globes, Emmys, and BAFTA Awards, as well as an
Speaker 1: Academy Award for twenty twenty three's Oppenheimer. His journey shows
Speaker 1: us the possibility of overcoming even the most intense personal battles.
Speaker 1: He continues to share his story in the hope of
Speaker 1: inspiring other addicts find their own version of a sober lifestyle.
Speaker 1: He says, a lot of folks struggle with their identity.
Speaker 1: I feel like they never quite find their path and
Speaker 1: that can often lead them back to the comfort of addiction.
Speaker 1: He encourages them to focus on their goals and aspirations
Speaker 1: and to be grateful for every experience and what it
Speaker 1: can teach you about yourself and your personal strength. Not
Speaker 1: everybody's a movie star, but there is a place for
Speaker 1: all of us. You just gotta find it. I hope
Speaker 1: you like the Backstory with Patty Steele. I would love
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Speaker 1: me if you have a story you'd like me to cover.
Speaker 1: On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele.
Speaker 1: I'm Patty Steele. The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions.
Speaker 1: Our producer is Doug Fraser, our writer Jay Kushner. We
Speaker 1: have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Feel free to
Speaker 1: reach out to me with comments and even story suggestions
Speaker 1: on Instagram at Real Patty Steele and on Facebook at
Speaker 1: Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the back Story with
Speaker 1: Patty Steele. The pieces of history you didn't know you
Speaker 1: needed to know.