25 Lesser Known Facts about Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. only got clean because his girlfriend (now wife) Susan Downey Jr. saw him on drugs, then gave him an ultimatum of quitting or losing her. He stopped at a Burger King on the coast and threw his drugs in the ocean. She is now known around Hollywood as "the Miracle That Saved Robert Downey."

2. Robert Downey Jr. was paid $10 million for only 8 minutes of screen time in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. He got paid over $1 million per minute he's in the movie.

3. Robert Downey Jr. provided his DVD commentary in Tropic Thunder as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary.

4. Robert Downey Jr. largely credits the martial art Wing Chun for helping to maintain his sobriety, as well as helping to keep him "grounded, well and focused."

5. In 2013, Robert Downey Jr. beat out George Clooney in a bidding war for movie rights to Black Mirror (UK) episode 'The Entire History of You' because they loved it so much.

Before his sobriety, Robert Downey Jr. was once pulled over for speeding, but the officers quickly discovered Downey was naked and hallucinating allegedly throwing imaginary rats at the officers on the scene. On another occasion, Downey was discovered curled up in the fetal position behind a grungy Los Angeles hotel.

7. Robert Downey Jr. buried the clothes that he wore in 1987's "Less Than Zero" in the backyard of his house in a symbolic attempt to bury his decadent 1980s Brat Pack image and begin a new phase of his life and career after filming Chaplin.

8. Robert Downey Jr. pissed in jars and left them lying around the set of "Zodiac" to protest not having enough time to go to his trailer and relax.

9. Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Lex Luthor in Superman: Flyby, a Superman reboot written by J.J. Abrams that was never made.

10. Robert Downey Jr considered retiring as Iron Man in 2013 after receiving an on-set injury, believing that he was too old to continue playing the role of Tony Stark.

When Robert Downey Jr. was on the set of the Avengers he would hide food on the sets. Nobody was ever able to find it so they let him continue to do it. The scene where he is eating blueberries is unscripted and part of the collection of food that he hid.

12. Robert Downey Jr. received 15 nominations for his role as Sgt. Lincoln Osiris in Tropic Thunder including an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

13. Robert Downey Jr.’s first gig after rehab in 2001 was the music video for Elton John’s “I Want Love.”

14. Robert Downey Jr. has released a musical album entitled The Futurist. The album debuted at number 121 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 16,000 copies in its first week.

15. Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark in the Iron Man movie series was directly inspired by and based on Elon Musk.

Robert Downey Jr was in a 1985 movie called "Tuff Turf". At 30:52 of the movie it predicts (by 27 years) his biggest role with a spray paint tag on the wall of: "THE NEW AVENGERS".

17. Robert Downey Jr. was allowed by his father to smoke marijuana at the age of six.

18. Robert Downey Jr. went blackface for most of Tropic Thunder, but the movie was mostly criticized by Disability advocates for the alleged offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities throughout the film.

19. Robert Downey Jr. gave Chris Evans a custom-designed "Steve Rogers" car with the Captain America shield emblazoned on the steering wheel.

20. Robert Downey Jr. broke Halle Berry's arm while filming Gothika in a scene where he had to twist her arm behind her back.

Robert Downey Jr. did the voice acting of Patrick Pewterschmidt in the TV show "Family Guy."

22. Robert Downey Jr. worked in a restaurant as a busboy for 3 years. He never made it to the waiter because he was too sweaty and didn't have the finesse.

23. Before his sobriety, Robert Downey Jr. once blacked out and was found asleep in the bedroom of his neighbor’s 11-year-old child.

24. Robert Downey Jr.'s first acting role in the film Pound was as a puppy which was directed by his father, Robert Downey Sr.

25. Robert Downey Jr. made a documentary "The Last Party" in 1993 where he interviews, among others, Bill Clinton.