Robert Downey Jr. was worried his years in the MCU had affected his acting

Ahead of appearing in Christopher Nolan’s epic biopic Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. has shared some thoughts on his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor, who played Iron Man for 11 years, admitted he was worried that playing one role for so long may impact his acting in the long term. 

Speaking to the New York Times magazine, he was quizzed about if he was concerned about this. "Yes," Downey Jr. replied, "A hundred percent, and I knew there was a point where Chris Nolan was endorsing, let’s work those other muscles, but let’s do it while rendering you devoid of your usual go-to things."

Downey Jr. first began playing Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, before reprising the role in multiple Marvel movies. His final time in the suit was 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, but while the actor has said goodbye to the role, he’s never ruled out a return at some point. 

In Oppenheimer, he plays Lewis Strauss, the chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Nolan previously waxed lyrical about Downey Jr.’s performance in the upcoming film. 

"We all know that Robert Downey Jr. is one of the great movie stars," he told Total Film magazine in our 2023 preview last year. "It’s so easy to forget that he’s also one of the greatest actors of all time. Watching him lose himself in that performance, and completely lose himself in a character in this way, was just an incredible reminder of just what an amazing actor he is."

Oppenheimer hits theaters on July 21. For more upcoming movies, check out our breakdown of 2023 movie release dates yet to come.