There was a time before Robert Downey Jr. was a former Marvel icon-turned Oscar winner, if you can even believe it. The actor has starred in plenty of movies over the years, but none of them highlight the beauty of dysfunctional families quite like Jodie Foster‘s Home For The Holidays.
Foster directed the classic 1995 family drama, which starred a young RDJ as Holly Hunter’s younger brother Jack and Dylan McDermott as Jack’s friend Leo who arrives for the holidays. In Variety‘s recent “Actors on Actors” series, the two colleagues chatted about their on-set experience 30+ years ago.
The Iron Man actor asked Foster if she remembers putting the two young actors “in check” during rehearsals, which Downey described as “so out of control.” She didn’t, but that’s because she’s a professional!
Foster explained, “I don’t [remember]. But I was used to working with children, so that’s something I do well. I say to them, ‘If you move, I’m going to step on your foot really hard.’” There is nothing like the light threat of violence to ensure child actors that they do their jobs. The best part is that Downey Jr was actually 29 at the time, a full-grown adult. But that’s showbiz!
She continued, “You have a big mouth and a crazy mind that loves the freedom of being in the moment, which is not who I am, but who I wish to be—somebody that’s free like you.”
Despite his on-set behavior, Downey still had a great experience with Foster. At the time, he was in his late twenties and was no stranger to Hollywood. “I was pretty out of my mind the whole time we were shooting, but I remember it feeling like one of the most relaxed performances in the history of cinema,” he said. It’s a stark contrast (get it??) to his most recent role as the least-relaxed man in the history of the world.
(Via Variety)