Actor
Robert Downey, Jr. (RDJ) is at the top of his game right now and he's likely to soon be at the top of the box office once
Iron Man 2 opens on May 7th. But, even though he's got "juice" right now, he tries to keep it all in perspective.
"This is still art for commerce, at best. I consider myself to be a pain-in-the-ass artist who’s self-aware enough to still be tolerable. While I have a little bit of juice, I try not to rub it in anyone’s face, because it’s just disgusting. And I use the term 'artist' loosely."
Not too long ago, RDJ said that he probably only had a few more movies in him, but now he sounds resigned to keep going and just settle for being worn out by his busy schedule.
"You don’t worry about something that has already happened. You don’t need to worry about your car breaking down when you’re already on the side of the street with the hood up. Worrying is done. The hubcaps have already come off going around the corners."
One of the ways he has found to cope with the mental and physical stress of his profession is through the martial arts form called Wing Chun...even if he doesn't always look graceful when practicing it.
"Seriously, don’t worry about looking like an idiot. It’s like life: The less self-conscious you are, the better it works. And remember, lots of ice and Advil afterward. Trust me on that one.
"This is all about focus. Wing Chun teaches you what to concentrate on, whether you’re here or out in the world dealing with problems. It’s second nature for me now. I don’t even get to the point where there’s a problem."
But, what
Iron Man 2 fans really want to know is if RDJ has any interesting information about the movie to share. Here's what he had to say about Tony Stark's relationship with his father:
"We’re having Tony go back and really deal with the ramifications of his lack of connection to his dad, his almost professional-stock, prop-smile answers, and how he’d been using Dad’s memory as a weapon against others. He’s really feeling hugely conflicted by assumptions about his dad’s feelings about him and whether or not there’s any real connection between them at the most basic level, which is: You’re not here anymore for this. Is there something you have for me, is there something you left for me, is there some sort of bread-crumb trail I can find that will help fill me at this point in my life?"