It seems Robert Downey Jr. had major misgivings about continuing on as Tony Stark past Avengers: Endgame. Speaking to The New York Times, Downey states that he feared his acting skills withering away after playing the fan-favorite Iron Man in the MCU for 11 years.
"You start to wonder if a muscle you have hasn’t atrophied,” stated Downey Jr.
In a follow-up question, he went on to explain how director Christopher Nolan capitalized on those fears when approached RDJ to join the star-studded ensemble in Oppenheimer.
"Yes. 100%," Downey first replied when asked if he had any concerns about playing Iron Man for 11 years and then venturing into other projects and being capable of delivering a good performance. He added, "And I knew there was a point where Christopher Nolan was endorsing, let’s work those other muscles, but let’s do it while rendering you devoid of your usual go-to things."
The leading face of the MCU for many years closed the interview by expressing that he's happy to be doing something else at this point in his career.
"Coming from that other place, entering the box-office-weekend-dominating place, then going into this spot now where I’m happy that I’m in this quality product — I’m happy that I regained my connection with a more purist approach to making movies."
Oppenheimer hits North American theaters on July 21, 2023.