ROBERT Downey Jr. ultimately won his first Oscar as best supporting actor for his role in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”
The win rounds out this season’s awards parade for the star, who previously won supporting actor at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards and BAFTA Film Awards.
“It’s my pleasure to thank my difficult childhood and the Academy — in that order,” Downey said at the start of his speech, followed by a joke.
“I want to thank my vet — I mean my wife, Susan Downey is there. She found me like a fierce pet and reignited the love in me. That’s why I’m here.”
Downey also thanked his co-stars on “Oppenheimer,” including director Nolan, producer Emma Thomas and his Oscar-nominated co-stars Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt.
“Here’s my little secret. I need this job more than this job needs me. Chris knows that. [Produser Emma Thomas] making sure that he surrounded me with one of the greatest cast and crew of all time — Emily, Cillian. That’s fantastic. And I stand here before you a better man because of it,” Downey continued.
Also read: Nominated for Oscar for Best Actor, Cillian Murphy: This means a lot
“What we do matters, and the things we choose to do matter.”
“My entertainment attorney, Tom Hanson, for 40 years, half of that time he spent trying to get me insurance and get me out of trouble — thank you, bro,” Downey concluded his speech. The actor also thanked his stylist, publicist and manager during his speech.
Downey dominated this season’s awards shows with his charismatic acceptance speeches. At the Critics Choice Awards, he decided to read straight from the reviews he’s received over the years that weren’t very kind to him.
Also read: Cillian Murphy receives praise from Peaky Blinders for Oppenheimer’s success
“I was thinking this morning: I love critics,” Downey said sarcastically. “They gave me such wonderful feedback, really so many great moments, and some of it was so poetic, I just wanted to share some of their thoughts with you over the years.”
“The first is like a haiku: ‘Careless, messy, and lazy,'” he continued, “The next is more metaphorical: ‘Like Pee-wee Herman emerging from a coma.’ This from a Brit: ‘A mind-boggling waste of talent.’ And finally, and this one settles it: ‘Funny as a fart locked in bed.'”
At the BAFTA Film Awards, Downey Jr. made news by thanking Nolan for casting him and restoring some of his credibility after he spent more than a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Iron Man/Tony Stark.
Also read: Christopher Nolan still refuses to use a smartphone
“When I was 15, I wanted to be Peter O’Toole. When I was 25, I worked for Richard Attenbourgh and Anthony Hopkins. When I was 35, I finally understood why Dickie thought Tony would be a better role model for me than Peter,” Downey Jr. said.
“When I was 42, I made two films for Guy Ritchie and learned how to make big Hollywood films in a civil British style. I then played a guy named Tony in the MCU for about 12 years. And recently, that guy Chris Nolan suggested I try a derogatory approach as a last-ditch effort perhaps to revive my sagging credibility. So I share this with my fellow nominees, it’s been a great year.”
Downey Jr. was nominated for an Oscar for supporting actor alongside Sterling K. Brown (“American Fiction”), Robert De Niro (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Ryan Gosling (“Barbie”), and Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things”). Downey Jr. has dominated this season so much that even Brown said last month that he knew he would lose to star “Oppenheimer.” (variety/Z-3)
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