Robert Downey Jr. has lengthy defended his function in “Tropic Thunder,” the 2008 comedy from director Ben Stiller that solid the “Iron Man” star as an egotistical Australian thespian who takes Methodology performing to an excessive by present process “pigmentation alteration” surgical procedure to darken his pores and skin in an effort to play a Black solider in a warfare film. Some have come down on Downey Jr. in recent times for doing Blackface within the movie, however the actor has by no means agreed with the backlash.

Throughout an look on Rob Lowe’s “Actually!” podcast whereas on his “Oppenheimer” awards marketing campaign path, Downey Jr. drew a line between “Tropic Thunder” and Norman Lear’s iconic sitcom “All within the Household.” He stated each works shine a light-weight on “tropes that aren’t proper and had been perpetuated for too lengthy” and confronted criticism from those that weren’t seeing the larger image.

“I used to be trying again at ‘All within the Household,’ they usually had a little bit disclaimer that they had been operating at the start of the present,” Downey Jr. stated concerning the backlash Lear sitcom’s face for tackling social subjects like racism in a means community tv by no means had earlier than. “Folks ought to look it up, precisely what it’s, as a result of it’s an antidote to this clickbait habit to grievance that [people seem] to have with all the pieces as of late.”

The “All within the Household” disclaimer learn: “This system you might be about to see is ‘All within the Household.’ It seeks to throw a humorous highlight on our frailties, prejudices, and issues. By making them a supply of laughter, we hope to point out — in a mature style — simply how absurd they’re.”

“The language was saying, ‘Hey, that is the rationale that we’re doing these items that, in a vacuum, you possibly can decide aside and say are flawed and unhealthy,’” Downey Jr. continued. “There was once an understanding with an viewers, and I’m not saying that the viewers is now not understanding — I’m saying that issues have gotten very muddied. The spirit that [Ben] Stiller directed and solid and shot ‘Tropic Thunder’ in was, basically, as a railing in opposition to all of those tropes that aren’t proper and [that] had been perpetuated for too lengthy.”

Throughout a 2020 episode of “The Joe Rogan Expertise” podcast, Downey Jr. recalled his mom being “horrified” when she discovered of his function in “Tropic Thunder.” His mom informed him: “Bobby, I’m telling ya, I’ve a foul feeling about this.”

Downey Jr. stated on the time that whereas he additionally had a foul feeling about “Tropic Thunder” and the potential backlash it may generate, he nonetheless thought to himself: “I get to carry as much as nature the insane self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they assume they’re allowed to do every now and then.”

“[Ben Stiller] knew precisely what the imaginative and prescient for this was, he executed it, it was inconceivable to not have it’s an offensive nightmare of a film,” Downey Jr. added. “And 90% of my Black pals had been like, ‘Dude, that was nice.’ I can’t disagree with [the other 10%], however I do know the place my coronary heart lies. I feel that it’s by no means an excuse to do one thing that’s misplaced and out of its time, however to me it blasted the cap on [the issue]. I feel having an ethical psychology is job one. Generally, you simply gotta go, ‘Yeah I effed up.’ In my protection, ‘Tropic Thunder’ is about how flawed [Blackface] is, so I take exception.”

Downey Jr. earned a greatest supporting actor Oscar nomination for his efficiency in “Tropic Thunder,” a class he’s now again within the operating for due to “Oppenheimer.” He just lately picked up one of the best supporting actor prize on the Golden Globes and has nominations from the Critics’ Selection Awards and the Display screen Actors Guild Awards.