Robert Downey Jr. has done a complete turnaround over the years. From struggling with addiction to serving time in prison, the actor's story is one worth hearing. In his documentary about his father, Sr., he opened up about his past, his relationship with his dad, and his road to redemption and reconciliation.
The 58-year-old made an appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. There, he opened up about the process of filming the documentary, and how it led him to mending his relationship with his dad.
Robert Jr. admitted that he struggled with substance abuse before his acting career took off. And when it came to what led him down that road, his father played a huge part.
More from LittleThings: Robert Downey Jr. Shares Rare Video Of His Son Exton And Daughter Avri
When he was only 6 years old, he was given a joint by his dad and asked to smoke it. He believes being surrounded by alcohol and drugs also contributed to what would later form into a battle with addiction.
Before he even reached his teenage years, Robert Jr. had formed a battle with addiction. In a 1988 interview, the actor stated, “There was always a lot of pot and coke around. When my dad and I would do drugs together, it was like him trying to express his love for me in the only way he knew how.”
In 1999, he was sentenced to three years in prison. But he was released early after serving one year. He described prison as the most dangerous place he's ever been. "There was no opportunity there; it was only threats," he shared. "The most important thing is, as long as you have the willingness to do harm, it is unlikely you will be targeted."
Due to the nature of Robert Jr.'s upbringing and addiction struggle, his relationship with his father was complicated. The path to reconciliation came during the filming of the documentary.
During the process, Robert Jr. was able to make one final trip to see his father and find closure. Robert Sr. admitted that he was addicted to cocaine for 15 years.
“A lot of us did things and thought it would be hypocritical to not have our kids participate in marijuana and stuff like that,” Downey Sr. said in a clip from the 2000s, where he's seen speaking to his son. “So we thought it was cute to let them smoke. It was an idiot move on our parts, a lot of us, to share that with our children. I’m just happy he’s here, that’s all.”
Robert Sr. died shortly after that last trip, in 2021. Luckily, the two were able to reconcile their differences, all of which is a monumental portion of the documentary.
