Advertisement
Robert Downey Jr. at present is one of the world’s major celebrities, known widely for his role of Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But the superstar had to go through quite some rough time before he reached his current status. Between 1996 and 2001, he was arrested multiple times for possession of illicit weapons, drugs and substance intoxication. The Iron Man star thus had to serve quite some time in prison as he underwent rehabilitation to get sober.
During his appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast, the superstar recalled being over sentenced by an angry judge. This forced Robert Downey Jr. to serve in North Kern State Prison in Delano, California, which he describes as “arguably the most dangerous place” he has ever been in my life.” The actor detailed about sharing space with criminals who had committed way more heinous crimes.
Advertisement
“You could just feel the evil in the air, and that was no trouble at all because it was kind of like just being in a really bad neighbourhood. There was no opportunity there. There were only threats,” he elaborated. The actor further added that his time in prison felt as if he was sent to a distant planet with no way back home.
Advertisement
Reflecting on his time in prison, Downey further elucidated his experience as he opened up on the SmartLess podcast. He described the environment in prison as rather isolating and terrifying, hinting towards the mental breakdown he had to experience. “It’s very monastic and rather dangerous and isolating. It’s awful. It’s traumatic. I think I said this before but here’s a crazy thing too. If you’ve had a trippy life, and I think all of us can agree that just being in the entertainment field, we know the psychological breakdown of folks like us,” he recalled.
Things started to fall out for the actor even outside the jail when he kept losing his major roles, pushing him on the verge of bankruptcy. It took him roughly 5 years to get back to work sober as he finally got himself out of the legal trouble.
Advertisement
For more such updates, check out Hollywood News
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Google News
Advertisement
