Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan says the casting of Robert Downey Jr. in 2008’s Iron Man played a key role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe changing the landscape of cinema for the better.
“Let [director] Jon Favreau take a huge risk, and there you go. No, the truth is, I think Jon Favreau casting Robert as Tony Stark is one of the most significant and consequential casting decisions in Hollywood history. It wound up defining our industry,” Nolan said in an interview alongside Downey with The New York Times.
Downey transitioned from talented but troubled actor to global superstar when Iron Man grossed over $585 million worldwide and earned universal praise. Nolan added that Downey’s drawing power as the Avenger was what propelled the MCU to record-breaking box office heights. More specifically, Nolan expressed gratitude for how the Marvel franchise helped save cinema during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Coming out of Covid, you say, ‘Thank God for Marvel movies.’ And it’s one of those where, in retrospect, everybody thinks it was obvious,” Nolan added.
What other Christopher Nolan movie did Robert Downey, Jr. try to get cast in?
The course of Downey’s career could have been very different had the actor and Nolan worked together much earlier than Oppenheimer. Downey recalls his unsuccessful campaign to play the Scarecrow in Nolan’s Batman Begins in 2005 — a role that would have likely kept him out of contention for Tony Stark.
“I remember meeting for tea, and I was like, ‘He doesn’t seem like he’s really leaning in on this interview,’” Downey said. “And he was polite and all that, but I mean, you know, you can tell when someone is kind of like, ‘It’s not gonna go your way.’”
