The post-MCU life has been very fruitful for many former Marvel stars, including Robert Downey Jr.. He has been busy making moves – both in and outside of Hollywood. After Avengers: Endgame, Downey Jr. is giving fans a peek into his life away from Marvel. RDJ spoke on what’s next for him after leaving the MCU and being at home for a year.
Most would rest on their laurels after spending over a decade helping to build up a cinematic universe. But that’s not Robert Downey Jr.’s calling. He wanted to channel his superhero exploits into real-world change as he revealed in his interview with LinkedIn’s Daniel Roth. The former MCU star said about moving on with his career during the ongoing pandemic:
But I have big and fun things coming up. And the way I’m going to do it is I’m not just going to lay around and sit in my trailer between setups anymore. I’m going to be on Zooms and making connections and doing dinners after work and calling overseas when I’m driving to set at 6 in the morning. So, this goes back to the answer to the previous question, which is, ‘How do we do this new normal?’ We kind of get to create what it is. And as much as that disgust response that we were all having--I know people going back to the office for the first time were all like ‘blech’--but I think that we don’t have to be afraid of returning to what seems like the old. The zero point has been reached, the faders have all come down on the control board and we can create our own reality a little bit more moving forward. I’m still going to make movies. I’ve got a ton of fun things to announce… but my real mission here is to try and stay under the tutelage of folks like you [Daniel Roth] and to try and do something big, and fun and good that’s a bit of a legacy play for all of us.
At this point in his career, Robert Downey Jr. can afford to pause his film and television career to pursue other passions. Quarantine and working remotely made Downey Jr. reevaluate his life and career like millions of others. He seemed ready for new ventures. But that doesn’t mean the MCU vet will leave entertainment behind.
While the actor has moved on from the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. hasn’t completely quit his day job. RDJ has plenty of projects lined up, so he won’t be away from the big screen forever. He’s also gone more behind the scenes by producing movies and television shows, including the hit Netflix series Sweet Tooth. Downey Jr. will team up with Arrowverse honcho Greg Berlanti for a new streaming series. But RDJ found some inspiration in his new journey from an unlikely cohort.
Iron Man co-star Gwyneth Paltrow paved the way for transitioning from a successful acting career, according to Robert Downey Jr. Paltrow was just starting up her lifestyle brand Goop during the first Iron Man. So, RDJ was able to witness the struggle his co-star went through to gain credibility in that space. Downey Jr. did admit his transition struggle was less harsh given the Tony Stark connection. At least, Paltrow was able to show RDJ there is life outside of show business.
But if you miss seeing Robert Downey Jr. in the MCU, you can watch the entire Infinity Saga on Dinsey+.
