The day Robert Downey Jr. didn’t prepare a speech because he thought he’d lose to Matt Damon: “I didn’t bother”
The “Iron Man” star explains why he walked onstage unprepared in 2009 and how his improvised speech became one of his funniest moments.
Robert Downey Jr. finally earned his long awaited Oscar last year, taking home Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Oppenheimer" (2023). The Marvel star had been nominated twice before, in 1992 for Chaplin and in 2008 for Tropic Thunder. When it comes to the Golden Globes, though, Downey has had better luck. He won Best Supporting Actor for “Short Cuts” (1993), Best Supporting Actor in a series or miniseries for “Ally McBeal” (2000), and, to his surprise, Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for “Sherlock Holmes” (2009).
The Golden Globes win Downey Jr. never saw coming
That last award blindsided him. Downey Jr. was convinced Matt Damon would win for “The Informant.” So when he heard his own name, he walked onstage with absolutely nothing prepared.
“First of all, I’d like to thank (wife) Susan Downey for telling me ‘Matt Damon is going to win, so don’t bother to prepare a speech’,” Downey said.
Leaning all the way into improvisation
With no idea what to say as he accepted the Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical, Downey went full improv and delivered a loose, funny, completely off the cuff speech.
“I don’t have anybody to thank, I’m sorry. Everyone has been so gratuitous. It was a collaboration, we all did this together,” he joked. He even took a playful swipe at Avatar, one of the biggest films of that year, along with one of his longtime supporters.
“I’m certainly not going to thank Warner Bros.... They needed me. Avatar was going to take us to the cleaners. If they didn’t have me, we didn’t have a shot. What am I going to do? Thank Joel Silver? The guy has only restarted my career about 12 times,” he said.
Downey Jr. finally gets his Oscar
Despite the Golden Globe win, Downey was not nominated for an Oscar for “Sherlock Holmes.”
But his big moment did arrive with “Oppenheimer” 15 years later and this time he did have an equally amusing speech prepared.
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