Fans probably have a hard time imagining Robert Downey Jr. playing any other character other than Tony Stark. However, the Avengers: Endgame star wants people to understand that he intends to keep his distance from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Iron Man persona now that his character is dead.
In an interview with Off Camera with Sam Jones, Downey revealed that he is preparing for life after MCU and admits that it was a satisfying period of his life considering that he felt safe.
"There's always a dependency on something that feels like a sure thing. It's the closest thing I will ever come to being a trust fund kid. And also there's a real bell-shaped curve," Downey said. "Initially by creating and associating and synergizing with Tony Stark and the Marvel universe and all this stuff, and being a good company man, but also being a little off-kilter, being creative and getting into all these other partnerships, it was a time when -- it's like, what do they say? Owners start looking like their pets. Occasionally you would pull back from it and go 'All right, let me get off the teat of this archetype and let me see where I stand.' And you can feel really buffeted and you can be really spun out by it."
The Sherlock Holmes 3 star stressed that it is important to realize the difference between the art and the artist.
"First thing you learn in theater arts: Aesthetic distance. ... I am not my work. I am not what I did with that studio. I am not that period of time that I spent playing this character. And it sucks, because the kid in all of us wants to be like, 'No. It's always going to be summer camp and we're all holding hands and singing 'Kumbaya,'" Downey said.
Although we're certainly going to miss Iron Man, we can't wait to see what Downey is planning to do next.
Related: Spider-Man: Far From Home Surprise Cameo Happened With Sam Raimi's Blessing
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