Robert Downey Jr: I have a sense of humour about my troubles

The Hollywood actor gets a grilling...

Tuesday, 17 April 2007

Have you been officially welcomed back to Hollywood with open arms now that you’ve sobered up?
That’s the great thing about Hollywood: memories are short. But it also means that you can f*** up your career in five minutes, too, whereas it takes a little longer than five minutes to get it back. Of course, I have a sense of humour about my troubles. When it’s over, you can make jokes about it: ‘Can you believe the car rolled 12 times and caught fire…?’

What advice would you give other celebs in the situation that you were in?
My advice would be: don’t try to hide it. When you’re talking about alcoholism or addiction, it’s not just one person who’s affected. When people say: ‘The only person that he or she is hurting is themselves,’ I get really mad.

You’ve been called the greatest actor of your generation. How do you feel about that?
It’s fine with me. But you got to live into it, though. I’m 42, I got some time. I swear to God I’m going to make you proud, I’m really going to earn this. It’s like that scene at the end of Saving Private Ryan when Tom Hanks says to Matt Damon: ‘Earn this.’

See Robert's full Celebrity Grilling in Now magazine (dated 23 April) out now!