Joe Rogan Experience #1411 - Robert Downey Jr.

1. 0:00 – 15:00

   (sighs) Boom. So we…

   1. JRJoe Rogan0:02

      (sighs) Boom. So we were talking about losing eyesight.

   2. RJRobert Downey Jr.0:05

      Yes.

   3. JRJoe Rogan0:05

      And you, you actually take comfort in the fact that your eyesight is starting to dwindle?

   4. RJRobert Downey Jr.0:10

      You want to chase it. At first, I was like, "I'm fine." Then I'm 42. Then it's like, "Let's try some ones." Then it's one 2.5s.

   5. JRJoe Rogan0:17

      Mm-hmm.

   6. RJRobert Downey Jr.0:17

      Then it's one 5s. Then it's-

   7. JRJoe Rogan0:18

      What do you got now?

   8. RJRobert Downey Jr.0:19

      Uh, I stopped because I have so many fucking glasses. Some of them are ones. Some of them are 2.5s.

   9. JRJoe Rogan0:24

      (laughs)

   10. RJRobert Downey Jr.0:24

       It's like, it's like a... You know what I mean?

   11. JRJoe Rogan0:26

       Yeah, I do know what you mean.

   12. RJRobert Downey Jr.0:27

       But what I appreciate is you know where you're at by what you're able to retain if you fight for it, and the things that are going no matter what you do. Now, I've heard there's some, uh, Israeli guy who's got this app, probably from Laird, got this app and you do it and you get your eyesight back. And sometimes it's about, I don't need to try to use something to hold onto everything. I wanna pick the five or seven things that I definitely want to hold onto, and I want to watch the rest of it go in and out with the tides.

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:01

       I, I, I agree with that in some ways, but if there was a real thing where you could get your eyesight back-

   14. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:08

       Yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:08

       ... I would definitely be on that.

   16. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:09

       Well-

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:09

       I don't think there is a real thing.

   18. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:10

       ... LASIK? I, you, there's-

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:11

       That's not real.

   20. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:12

       Okay.

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:12

       The problem, well, LASIK, the, the-

   22. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:14

       But I know people that do-

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:15

       There's, there's several problems. You can get it if you have problems with your vision.

   24. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:17

       Yeah.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:17

       But we have macular degeneration. That's coming from age. Age-related macular degeneration, LASIK doesn't really fix that.

   26. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:25

       But I know people who were wearing glasses and then got LASIK and they don't wear glasses anymore.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:30

       Yes, that's, that's fact. But also, sometimes-

   28. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:31

       But we never wore glasses.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:32

       ... they get one eye to close up and one eye for distance.

   30. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:36

       It, it's even more fun.
2. 15:00 – 30:00

   Yeah. …

   1. RJRobert Downey Jr.15:00

      speaking of past generations. I remember growing up, 1974, Nixon's black and white TV getting impeached, my dad and his buddies are whooping it up, but they're still pissed and I'm going like, "Wow, it's, it's not worse or, or, or better, it's different, but now it's on us."

   2. JRJoe Rogan15:18

      Yeah.

   3. RJRobert Downey Jr.15:18

      So there's the, a bit of a urgency. And that, that whole thing of just being able to say... Like, so to answer your question, to me, uh, starting up again is off the table, I feel I've done all I could with that character. There'd have to be a super compelling argument and a series of events that, that made it obvious-

   4. JRJoe Rogan15:38

      Mm-hmm.

   5. RJRobert Downey Jr.15:39

      ... to it. But the other thing is, I want to do other stuff.

   6. JRJoe Rogan15:41

      Right, of course. Yeah.

   7. RJRobert Downey Jr.15:42

      You know?

   8. JRJoe Rogan15:42

      Of course. You know, what you're talking about, about Nixon and people get... People can lose themselves in current events. And what I mean, and what I mean by that, like, it doesn't necessarily completely... Your, your life is more than what's going on in Washington. You know, Hunter Thompson talked about that when he was running for sheriff in, uh, Aspen. He was talking about how, like, local politics, like your neighborhood, that's real.

   9. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:06

      Yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan16:06

       Th- this actually can affect your life. Like, what's going on in Washington, how much does that affect your day-to-day existence? It's very little. But for some people, it becomes, uh, an enormous portion of the real estate of their mind. It, it, it takes over most of their day-to-day consciousness-

   11. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:24

       Yeah.

   12. JRJoe Rogan16:24

       ... where they're consumed with it and it becomes a thing they're cheering for or they're rooting against and, and then, you know, your, your life revolves on something that you have very little power over.

   13. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:37

       Teams, turf wars.

   14. JRJoe Rogan16:38

       Yeah.

   15. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:39

       Interests.

   16. JRJoe Rogan16:40

       Yeah.

   17. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:40

       Uh, think globally, act locally, right?

   18. JRJoe Rogan16:43

       Yes. I mean, it's a beautiful statement. It really is. It's one of those clichés-

   19. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:47

       Yeah.

   20. JRJoe Rogan16:47

       ... that you don't even think about, but then-

   21. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:49

       I didn't know that was Hunter in that picture up there.

   22. JRJoe Rogan16:52

       Yeah.

   23. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:52

       It, to me, he looked like Joe Walsh. (laughs)

   24. JRJoe Rogan16:54

       Could have easily been Joe Walsh.

   25. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:56

       Yeah.

   26. JRJoe Rogan16:56

       I mean, he moved to Colorado too.

   27. RJRobert Downey Jr.16:58

       Oh, wow.

   28. JRJoe Rogan16:59

       Yeah, the Rocky Mountain way.

   29. RJRobert Downey Jr.17:01

       Oh, damn if he didn't.

   30. JRJoe Rogan17:02

       Yeah.
3. 30:00 – 45:00

   (laughs) What about the…

   1. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:02

   2. JRJoe Rogan30:02

      (laughs) What about the other 10%?

   3. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:04

      Um, you know-

   4. JRJoe Rogan30:05

      (laughs)

   5. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:06

      ... I, I can't disagree with them but I know where my heart was.

   6. JRJoe Rogan30:10

      Yeah.

   7. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:10

      And I think that it's never an excuse to do something that is out of place and not of its time, but to me it was just putting a... it was a blasting cap on. And by the way, I think White Chicks came out pretty soon after that.

   8. JRJoe Rogan30:26

      Yeah.

   9. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:26

      And I was like, "I love that."

   10. JRJoe Rogan30:27

       Yeah.

   11. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:27

       I was like, "That was great."

   12. JRJoe Rogan30:28

       Yeah.

   13. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:29

       So, you know.

   14. JRJoe Rogan30:30

       Well, it might be the last time we see that.Unless things change, it seems like no one can really, I don't think you could do blackface anymore. I mean, we almost lost the Prime Minister of Canada 'cause he did brownface.

   15. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:44

       Yes.

   16. JRJoe Rogan30:44

       He pretended to be Saudi Arabian, right?

   17. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:47

       Yeah.

   18. JRJoe Rogan30:47

       He did Arabian Nights in high school or something like that.

   19. RJRobert Downey Jr.30:50

       It's, uh, it's a interesting and necessary meditation on where is the pendulum, why is the pendulum right?

   20. JRJoe Rogan31:00

       Yeah.

   21. RJRobert Downey Jr.31:00

       Where is the pendulum, uh, maybe cutting, uh, a little into what could be perceived as, as heart in the right place, openness of its time, but again, I mean, you know, there's a morality clause here on, on this planet and it's a big price to pay. And I think having a moral psychology is, uh, is job one. So, sometimes you just gotta go, "Yeah, you know, I F'd up." Again, not in my defense, but Tropic Thunder was about how wrong that is.

   22. JRJoe Rogan31:38

       Yes.

   23. RJRobert Downey Jr.31:39

       So, I take exception.

   24. JRJoe Rogan31:43

       No, it's, it, I think you could do it today. I think you could. I think it could be done today. There would be so much outrage but there would also be people cheering and if you, if, uh, we got, we boiled down all the bullshit and got to the actual result of what the film did, it's fucking hilarious to this day. I watched it again about a year and a half ago. It's a great movie.

   25. RJRobert Downey Jr.32:05

       (laughs)

   26. JRJoe Rogan32:05

       It's a great, fun movie.

   27. RJRobert Downey Jr.32:07

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan32:07

       I mean, it's, it's ridiculous, over the top, hilarious, and it worked. And, and your portrayal, I mean, it wasn't, it wasn't egregious. It wasn't, uh, uh, there was, it was necessary. It made sense.

   29. RJRobert Downey Jr.32:21

       Yeah.

   30. JRJoe Rogan32:21

       All of it fit. It all, the square pegs in square holes.
4. 45:00 – 1:00:00

   (laughs) …

   1. RJRobert Downey Jr.45:00

      So you never wanna rest on your laurels and say, you know... But after a certain while, I was like, "Why am I wearing this, this, uh, this football suit? Just put some dots on my shoulders so I can move more freely." And they'd be like, "Ugh, all right." I go, t- to... Honestly, "What are you really using this, all this stuff I'm wearing for?" They go, "For reference." I go, "Great, so I'll wear it for one take and then I'll take it off and, and I'll relax a little bit." But then other people would be like, or Bettany would be like, "I'm stuck in this fucking thing, Don," you know? (laughs)

   2. JRJoe Rogan45:30

      (laughs)

   3. RJRobert Downey Jr.45:30

      And it was painted purple. So everybody got to join in on the joys and the miseries of the, uh, of the, the technical challenge of doing it. And, and speaking of Ruffalo, by the end, because he's Smart Hulk, he literally... They were just making him big wherever he was and they put a, uh, a little, you know, a, uh, a piece of PVC with a big Hulk head up about five feet over where his head was, and he was just there in a green suit, so... In a tracking suit with like his package out, you know? And he'd be like, "Can... Let me just at least tie like a little sarong around myself." "Come on, guys." You know? Whatever. (laughs)

   4. JRJoe Rogan46:07

      (laughs)

   5. RJRobert Downey Jr.46:07

      You know? And so I think Mark went about as far out into the ionosphere of, uh, of CG as you can.

   6. JRJoe Rogan46:16

      H- I didn't get the whole Smark Hu- Smart Hulk thing.

   7. RJRobert Downey Jr.46:19

      Yeah.

   8. JRJoe Rogan46:19

      I didn't get how they, how he figured that out. It wasn't really...

   9. RJRobert Downey Jr.46:23

      Yeah.

   10. JRJoe Rogan46:23

       Like, Hulk is supposed to be Hulk.

   11. RJRobert Downey Jr.46:27

       Right.

   12. JRJoe Rogan46:27

       Supposed to be the alter. It's like one you can control, one is, one is the, the genius scientist-

   13. RJRobert Downey Jr.46:33

       Exactly.

   14. JRJoe Rogan46:33

       ... and one is the beast.

   15. RJRobert Downey Jr.46:34

       But after so many times... And again, this is the genius of the people who, who, who break and shape stories over there, Feige and his team, is they go, "Oh, he's Hulk and then he's not Hulk. He's Hulk, it's a big battle. Oh, he's so conflicted." What if he could meet himself in the middle? And then what corner have we painted ourselves in by having him meet himself in the middle? 'Cause then you can't ever... If that doesn't work, you can't go back to the way it was. You've done it. Or you can go back to the way it was. So I just think that the, the real genius of the Marvel creative team is they... And the Russo brothers who did the last few Avengers, Infinity War and Endgame, is they go, "We love writing ourselves into a corner. We love it." Because then it, it activates all of those, "How do we get out of purgatory?" juices and then you get the next right idea.

   16. JRJoe Rogan47:25

       Now, when you guys sit down and when you first receive a script for one of these things, uh, uh, do they consult with you? Do they discuss this with you? Do they just lay it out and say, "This is, this is the character arc. How do you, how do you feel about this? What do you think?"

   17. RJRobert Downey Jr.47:40

       Yeah. And, and, but it's changed over time. Um, I think if you're one of the folks who has their standalone movies, like Scarlett has Black Widow coming out, I think you take a... I would. You take a, a bit of a different, uh, tack in how much meaningful- ... I think the phrase, the legal phrase, for actors and studios is meaningful consultation.

   18. JRJoe Rogan48:02

       Oh.

   19. RJRobert Downey Jr.48:02

       Uh, not script approval, because then anybody could hold a studio hostage 'cause, "I don't approve this $30 million that you're trying to spend right now, so your schedule's fucked."

   20. JRJoe Rogan48:13

       When you say, "I don't approve," I picture a bathrobe and I picture-

   21. RJRobert Downey Jr.48:17

       (laughs)

   22. JRJoe Rogan48:17

       ... fine china and teacups. That's when I picture, "I don't approve." And then just storming off.

   23. RJRobert Downey Jr.48:22

       I've had my moments too, 'cause I'm so passionate about story. Um, but again, after more seat time with the same people and new people coming in and, and getting a, a pretty brutal education on what kind of, uh, process these movies require-... you, you, you just start trusting more that they're thinking on your behalf.

   24. JRJoe Rogan48:47

       Mm-hmm.

   25. RJRobert Downey Jr.48:47

       And also, little things are easy to change, big things become a inconvenience to the higher good. And at what point do you want to pull the air brake on something where the- the train's, you know, already leaving the station?

   26. JRJoe Rogan49:04

       Well, I would imagine it would be a fine line that they ha- the- they want the- the actor to be comfortable with the character and they want some- and maybe some feedback would be beneficial, but they're also- they have a path, a vision, that they've created.

   27. RJRobert Downey Jr.49:19

       Yeah.

   28. JRJoe Rogan49:19

       And they would like to see you, somehow or another, at least morph slightly to- to get on this path.

   29. RJRobert Downey Jr.49:25

       Yeah. Yeah, and by the way, after I had my second round of kids with Susan, I- I became both artistically, I had a bit of a renaissance when I was doing the third Iron Man. And then after that too, I was like, "Well, now I'm gonna do this Avengers," and there's so many moving parts and it's so difficult just to get all these schedules to coincide and get everyone together that I'm not gonna be like, (chuckles) "I'm not feeling it."

   30. JRJoe Rogan49:50

       (laughs)
5. 1:00:00 – 1:12:19

   Yeah. …

   1. JRJoe Rogan1:00:00

      are very aware you did that.

   2. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:00:02

      Yeah.

   3. JRJoe Rogan1:00:02

      You're very aware, but there's something about the creative process that's not... You're n- not totally there. It's weird.

   4. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:00:10

      Yeah. Uh, because it is you and it isn't you.

   5. JRJoe Rogan1:00:13

      Right.

   6. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:00:14

      And, and w- uh, what does you even mean? I love it. We always hear it too in sports, it's like, you know, "Oh, you know, uh, you know, how'd it go today, Federer?" "Oh, I was out of my mind. I was not in my mind. It was a beautiful day, and I think you saw the results."

   7. JRJoe Rogan1:00:31

      (laughs) Yeah.

   8. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:00:31

      You know?

   9. JRJoe Rogan1:00:32

      Sure. Yeah.

   10. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:00:33

       Fluid, effortless, poetic. (inaudible 00:07:20)

   11. JRJoe Rogan1:00:35

       Well, fighters talk about that all the time, that like especially a counter shot, like they land something and they don't even have any idea they're gonna do it, and they did it, and then it, it caused the knockout.

   12. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:00:45

       Yeah.

   13. JRJoe Rogan1:00:45

       It's their training manifest itself in this one special beautiful moment where bang, this thing happens, and then they see the guy drop and they're like, "Holy shit."

   14. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:00:54

       Oh, yeah.

   15. JRJoe Rogan1:00:54

       And then they, they walk away, and it's the work, it's-... i- it's... There's so many things involved, right? There's so many moving pieces. You have to be working on your own mind to learn how to get out of your own way. You also have to be, like, really engrossed in whatever the activity is that you're doing. Like, obsessed, in love with it, eh, eh, passionate about it. And then you have to have the discipline to show up and actually do the work. There's so many different moving pie- and it all has to be managed, and it's not solid. It's like a f- it's like a fucking raft on the ocean. It's moving around. You're always trying to, like, figure out how to keep it, keep it moving and, and functional. And it always seems unmanageable, and after it's over, you're always like, "Oh!" (laughs)

   16. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:01:31

       (laughs)

   17. JRJoe Rogan1:01:32

       "How the fuck did that even work?"

   18. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:01:34

       Uh, yeah, we call it the fader board.

   19. JRJoe Rogan1:01:36

       Oh, yeah.

   20. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:01:37

       It's that weird thing of like-

   21. JRJoe Rogan1:01:37

       Right.

   22. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:01:38

       ... you know, how do you get it all? And, uh, honestly, particularly in the last 15 years-

   23. JRJoe Rogan1:01:43

       Yeah.

   24. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:01:43

       ... when I started really taking martial arts seriously, half the stuff that I've been able to do right in my creative life are principles that I learned on the mat with my Sifu.

   25. JRJoe Rogan1:01:56

       Mm.

   26. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:01:57

       You know? Guard your center, uh, keep your eye on the lead elbow, um, get to the blind side, you know.

   27. JRJoe Rogan1:02:07

       How often do you do that?

   28. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:02:09

       Uh, I started... (sighs) I think I'm in the 15th or 16th year. Uh, Sifu was over... day before yesterday. So, you know, a bunch of times a week and if I'm working on something or if he can make it to location, we'll have long stretches where we're doing it every day and there's gradings, so you gotta prep for those, you know.

   29. JRJoe Rogan1:02:30

       Mm-hmm.

   30. RJRobert Downey Jr.1:02:32

       It's, uh...

Episode duration: 1:12:19