Robert Downey Jr. was worried playing Iron Man for 10 years would affect his acting skills

11 July 2023, 15:44 | Updated: 11 July 2023, 15:54

Watch the trailer for Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is Robert Downey Jr.'s second film after exiting the MCU and saying goodbye to Iron Man.

Ahead of his upcoming movie Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. is opening up about portraying other characters on screen in his post-MCU career, and how he thought playing one character for more than a decade may have had an impact on his wider acting skills.

Robert plays the supporting role of Lewis Strauss in the new film, opposite Christopher Nolan-regular Cillian Murphy and a whole host of fellow acclaimed actors including Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh. Oppenheimer is only Robert's second major project in his post-MCU career, following 2022's Doolittle.

In a new profile with The New York Times, the actor has now shared that he was "a hundred percent" concerned that his acting abilities might have changed after portraying the same character for over 10 years.

READ MORE: Stranger Things fans think Eddie Munson looks exactly like young Robert Downey Jr.

Speaking to the publication, Robert acknowledged that he hadn't starred in a major role that wasn't part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for quite a while, which meant he hadn't had the chance to explore other types of characters that might require him to use different parts of his acting skill set.

Explaining why he was concerned, he said: "You start to wonder if a muscle you have hasn't atrophied."

"I knew there was a point where Chris Nolan was endorsing, let's work those other muscles, but let's do it while rendering you devoid of your usual go-to things," he continued, praising the director for helping him pull his performance out of him.

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Over on social media, fans are excited to see what Robert's post-MCU roles will be like after his beloved and brilliant performance as Iron Man/Tony Stark.

One user wrote: "Ready for the RDJ resurgence for these kinds of roles. I already see him getting nominated for best supporting actor from this."

Oppenheimer is set to hit cinemas on July 21st – same day as Barbie. If you're not doing a double feature on opening weekend, what are you doing?

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