What Did Robert Downey Jr. Say About Iron Man’s Oscars Snub? ( Photo Credit – Flickr )
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Oscars 2025 is approaching soon. A fresh batch of movies, actors, directors, and cinematographers will be applauded for their work as they will win one of the most prestigious awards in different categories. However, there are some actors who, despite giving outstanding performances, never received an Oscar. One such actor is Robert Downey Jr., who once reflected on his feelings about getting unnoticed by the Academy Awards.
Last year, RDJ was in the race for an Oscar win in the Best Supporting Actor category for his Oppenheimer role. Well, he did win his first Academy Award for Oppenheimer, but as he reflected on his career choices over the years, the actor realized that even after giving his best, being Tony Stark/Iron Man, he never received a nomination for his skill.
During his appearance on the Literally! With Rob Lowe’s podcast, Robert Downey Jr. candidly talked about how he felt being at the peak of his career in 2019 after continuing his streak as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Over the years, he has been featured in many prestigious projects, but RDJ is still recognized as Iron Man by people.
He referred to that period as some of his “best work,” but unfortunately, the superhero genre often gets overshadowed, leaving his skills unnoticed by the Academy Awards. The actor said, “I felt so exposed after being in the cocoon of Marvel, where I believe I did some of the best work I will ever do, but it went a little bit unnoticed because of the genre.”
In 2019, Robert Downey Jr. made headlines when he remarked about the Oscars snub. Downey, popularly known for portraying Iron Man/Tony Stark for 11 years, spoke with Howard Stern on his podcast about the film Endgame. Stern shared his admiration for the movie and suggested that RDJ should have been recognized for his work.
Stern went ahead and hinted at the Academy voters, “Because it’s a superhero movie, they turn [up] their nose at it,” and continued, “The performance is excellent. It’s a totally believable character.” To this, Robert Downey Jr. added, “I’m so glad you brought this up because there was some talk about [an Oscar campaign for his work]. And I said, ‘Let’s not.’”
The actor further stated, “Doing (the MCU films) was their own reward. I don’t know if it’s time or if I am the guy… to have the Academy recognize.”
In 2019, Disney launched its For Your Consideration website and featured the record-breaking box office movie Avengers: Endgame in its campaign for Oscar accolades. However, the film only got one nomination, and that was in the Best Visual Effects category. They lost it to 1917, a movie about World War I.
