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Robert Downey Jr. is Marvel’s Iron Man and he’s one of the most non-controversial Hollywood actors around. The star is the poster boy for turning one’s life around and hasn’t been canceled online till now. However, once upon a time, he did come under fire for doing blackface in 2008’s satirical comedy,Tropic Thunder, which grossed $195 million at the box office.
Also, Robert Downey Jr. was even nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category at the 81st Academy Awards for his role of Kirk Lazarus in the movie. The film was made to poke fun at the method acting madness, obsession with war films, and more, in Hollywood. However, this didn’t mean that Ben Stiller and Downey Jr. were exempt from controversies.
The Blackface Controversy Of Marvel Star Robert Downey Jr.
InTropic Thunder, Robert Downey Jr. played Kirk Lazarus. The character was an Australian method actor as well as an Academy Award winner. Kirk Lazarus used pigment alteration surgery to get into the character of a black soldier and he refused to break character no matter what happens. This was obviously done to poke fun at method actors who take things too far.
But initially, audiences in 2008 were unhappy after seeing the newly minted Marvel star in such a film. However, Ben Stiller and other makers of the film took care and screened it to the NAACP and some black journalists who approved of it. Even Downey Jr. said that when the movie came out, a lot of his friends loved it.
Read More:“It’s not a bad place to be”: Robert Downey Jr Pursued MCU’s Iron Man Role Like His Life Depended on It After Being Inspired By Johnny Depp and Keanu Reeves
As for those who didn’t love it, Downey Jr. doesn’t disparage them. But he does mention that his heart was in the right place. In a 2008 interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said:“I dove in with both feet. If I didn’t feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted… I would’ve stayed home.”ButAvengers: Endgamestar wasn’t the only one under fire.
His co-starBen Stillerwasn’t exempt from scrutiny either. InTropic Thunder, Stiller played Tugg Speedman. His character was that of an actor. But what caused the controversy was the way a mentally challenged farm boy was shown, as played by Tugg Speedman, in theSimple Jackfilm. But one positive thing came out of it all. Thanks to Stiller’s controversy, Robert Downey Jr. got some reprieve.
Read More:“He was not interested”: Robert Downey Jr. Was Never the First Choice For Iron Man, Neither Was Tom Cruise
The Public Cancellation of Ben Stiller AfterTropic Thunder
On theJoe Rogan Experiencepodcast,Robert Downey Jr.thanked Ben Stiller for taking the brunt of the controversy. He said,“The funny thing, too, was all the heat got deflected to Ben as Simple Jack. That’s what people were p***ed off about, and I go, ‘Phew! Great!'”Back then, there were several disability advocacy groups, who wanted to boycott the film because of the way Stiller’s Tugg Speedman played the mentally challenged boy.
Read More:“I’ll take all the credit for his success as Iron Man”: Wesley Snipes Did Not Answer a Concerned Robert Downey Jr’s Call Initially Before His Big MCU Debut
Apart from this, the film is accused of using ableist slurs and mocking mentally disabled people. InTropic Thunder, the aim was to show how much acclaim Hollywood actors tended to garner for playing mentally challenged characters. From Tom Hanks inForrest Gump(1994) to Leonardo DiCaprio inWhat’s Eating Gilbert Grape(1993), there are plenty of such cases.
Ultimately, the movie was never boycotted and neither were any major changes or cuts done to the theatrical version. Also, the film stood the test of time and garnered a cult following. Many nowadays think it would have been unfortunate if any cuts got made due to pressure from advocacy groups.
Tropic Thunderis available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source:EWandJoe Rogan
Ishita Chatterjee
Content Writer
Articles Published :752
Ishita is an Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 700 articles published. She has been working in the entertainment and pop-culture niche for more than 4 years. With a English Literature degree, Ishita generally covers news and analyses on Foundation, Ted Lasso, Severance, and more.A lifelong DC fan, Ishita spends her time watching and re-watching everything in the DC universe (yes, even including the Arrowverse shows).
