Robert Downey Jr. gave one of the best performances of his career in Christopher Nolan’s World War II-era biopic Oppenheimer. In an ensemble cast filled with heavy hitters such as Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, and more, Downey Jr. gave a surprisingly nuanced performance that had been missing since he started playing Tony Stark.

Recently, Oppenheimer won the Best Film Award at the Nevada Film Critics Society Awards, beginning its run in the Awards season. Downey Jr. too won in the Best Supporting Actor category at the NFCS Awards, making him another step closer to the coveted Oscar which he is largely predicted to win this year.

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Robert Downey Jr. As Lewis Strauss In OppenheimerRobert Downey Jr in Oppenheimer

Before Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Admiral Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, he was on the heels of his final performance as Iron Man in the MCU and had only appeared in Dolittle. The actor, who was known for his bad-boy antics off-screen and his multiple arrests, got a new lease on life when he was cast as Tony Stark in Iron Man.

The actor played the role for ten years, amassing a global fandom in the process while laying the foundations of one of the highest-grossing franchises of all time. He became synonymous with Tony Stark, with many fans finding traces of Stark in Downey Jr. as they saw him off-screen. The image was a treat for fans, but as an actor, it limited him.

Also read: “Every time it just gets me”: Even Christopher Nolan Couldn’t Hold His Emotions Back During 1 Robert Downey Jr. Scene in ‘Oppenheimer’

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man

After finally departing from the iconic role in Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. began experimenting with his roles and one of those was Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The director revealed to Vanity Fair that he did not see any hint of Strauss in Downey Jr. before filming and that he completely transformed into the character. He said,

“Let me put it this way: I didn’t see any of Lewis Strauss in Robert Downey Jr.—at all. I didn’t know him but I’d met him a couple of times, and looking at him from the outside, I felt like he just was in a place where he would be ready to come and try something completely different.”

The experimentation included shaving his head bald, losing weight to appear skinny, and throwing out the acting process that he had created for himself for years. The experiment seems to have worked as he was unanimously praised for his performance in the film.

Also read: “I’m probably going to put hands on somebody”: Robert Downey Jr. Called British Journo ‘Bottom-Feeding Muckraker’ After Being Asked About His Dark Past

Robert Downey Jr. Is On The Path To The OscarsA still from Chaplin

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was a film that broke all preconceived notions of trends in the film industry. It was a three-hour-long biopic filled with dialogues that cost $100 million to make and had almost half of the film in black and white, with a relatively lesser-known star like Cillian Murphy headlining the project. The film earned $954 million at the box office.

The film was also the platform on which Robert Downey Jr. gave one of the finest performances of his career. As Lewis Strauss, Downey Jr. brought in the manipulative bureaucratic behavior that was founded on jealousy and insecurity, making him a worthy antagonist in a World War II-era film.

The actor has been touted to win the Oscars this year by fans. He has already been nominated for the Golden Globes and recently won the Nevada Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor, starting his path to winning the golden statue. Robert Downey Jr. had a twisted way of seeing his eventual Oscar win a few years ago (via IMDB),

“And I’m probably going to win it one year when someone else deserves to win it. Why? Because it’s my time, goddammit. And that’s the way shit works around here. Welcome to Hollywood, b*tch! I’ll see you at the Vanity Fair party and I’ll be holding that golden statue you deserve ’cause guess what? It happened to me too!”

Downey Jr. has been nominated twice before, for Chaplin and Tropic Thunder. Ironically, he lost out on the Oscar for Tropic Thunder to Heath Ledger’s portrayal of Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.