Robert Downey Jr. won an Best Supporting Actor award for his work in ‘Oppenheimer’ and his Oscars acceptance speech thanked everything and anyone important in his life, including his ‘terrible childhood.’
The American actor made several jokes while thanking the people around him during his awards show speech, and some fans even think the Iron Man movie star made a coded dig at Marvel.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Oscars speech thanked his ‘terrible childhood’
Robert Downey Jr. took home the prize for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday, 10 March.
Born on 4 April 1965, the 58 year old has finally experienced a long-awaited Oscars victory as he received his first acting nod three decades ago. Downey Jr. became an Oscars winner last night for his role as politician Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer.
The celebrity starred as Tony Stark (Iron Man) in 10 Marvel Cinematic Universe films between 2008 and 2019, so Oppenheimer was widely referred to as a comeback for the actor as he had taken on only a handful of other projects over the past decade that weren’t MCU-related.
At the beginning of his speech, Downey Jr. jokingly announced: “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy — in that order.”
When he was growing up, Robert Downey Jr. reportedly battled heavy addiction problems, had to deal with his parents’ divorce while they each had individual issues.
At the beginning of the Oscars ceremony, Downey Jr. appeared to look uncomfortable after host Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about his history of substance abuse.
Continuing the speech, the star then expressed gratitude for his wife: “I’d like to thank my veterinarian — I meant wife, Susan Downey over there. She found me a snarling rescue pet and you loved me back to life. That’s why I’m here.”
Fans think Robert Downey Jr.’s made a dig at Marvel
While accepting the award, Robert Downey Jr. also said: “Here’s my little secret: I needed this job more than it needed me.”
Some fans think that this was a coded dig at Marvel.
Paying tribute to his co-stars, he continued: “Emily, Cillian, Matt… it was fantastic and I stand here before you a better man because of it. You know, what we do is meaningful, and the stuff that we decide to make is important.”
On social media, some people have speculated that these comments were alluding disparagingly to his work in Marvel. One user suggested that he may have meant he “does not want to go back to Marvel”, and others wondered whether he “was fed up of Marvel capes.”
Wrapping up his speech, Downey Jr. thanked: “My entertainment lawyer Tom Hanson, of 40 years, the half of which he spent trying to get me insured and bailing me out of the hoosegow — thanks, bro.”
The Oppenheimer star also made sure to thank his stylist, publicist and manager when accepting his award.
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