Famously, Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western Dollars Trilogy helped establish Clint Eastwood as a cultural icon in the middle of the 1960s. Clint Eastwood gained notoriety with the cowboy TV series Rawhide. He portrayed the steadfast antihero “The Man with No Name” in the latter, who was recognizable by his cigarillos, poncho, and harsh demeanor. He became known as one of the best on-screen heroes of his era and an enduring representation of American manhood because to these and other roles.
In addition to being a superb actor, the former Carmel-by-the-Sea mayor is also an accomplished filmmaker. But in Hollywood, it is not rare for seasoned actors such as Clint Eastwood to recognize excellence in their colleagues’ performances. And it takes something truly remarkable to get the legendary actor, who passed away, interested.
In fact, he was especially surprised by Robert Downey Jr.’s outstanding work as a method actor in the satirical comedy Tropic Thunder (2008). The actor gained notoriety for wearing blackface in this same movie.
Clint Eastwood Developed a Strong Adoration for Robert Downey Jr.
Clint Eastwood, 93, has been a Hollywood mainstay for more than 50 years, covering nearly every base in his long career while maintaining his tough-guy persona. As Entertainment Weekly discovered in 2008, he possesses not only a wealth of industry knowledge and a natural mettle but also a reputation for laughing easily. By admitting in the interview that he was a fan of Robert Downey Jr.‘s Tropic Thunder and that it was his last-viewed film, Eastwood stunned everyone.
“The last picture I saw was Tropic Thunder. It’s a great send-up of Hollywood. It looked like they had a good time making it and Robert Downey Jr. was great. When they blow that guy’s head off… you couldn’t help laughing.”
The film centered on a group of well-known Hollywood actors who were working on a film about the Vietnam War. But it went wrong. Downey Jr. portrayed Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, who also won an Academy Award. Lazarus underwent controversial ‘pigmentation alteration’ surgery to assume the appearance of a black soldier, and he vowed to stay true to his persona no matter what. People were initially upset when the newly discovered Marvel star starred in the film, which almost led to his cancellation.
Those who did not enjoy it were not disparaged by Downey Jr. However, he did say that his intentions were good. During an Entertainment Weekly interview in 2008, he stated:
“I dove in with both feet. If I didn’t feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted… I would’ve stayed home.”
The Iron Man Star Wants Tom Cruise To Return For Tropic Thunder Sequel?
Every once in a while, even more than 10 years after Tropic Thunder’s release, there is still discussion about the possibility of a sequel to the 2008 satirical action comedy film. When asked whether he would like to return for Tropic Thunder 2 in an interview with ExtraTV, Robert Downey Jr. gave a positive response:
“All I can say is that Tom Cruise and I haven’t worked on a project together yet. And it’s sort of a yes; after that, we’ll decide on the title.
Hopefully, Tropic Thunder 2 will address Downey Jr.’s evident desire to put this right. Consider Tom Cruise. In an interview with ComicBook.com, he was asked if he would be interested in reprising his role as Tropic Thunder during the Top Gun: Maverick premiere. As per his statement: “I’m not sure. For the MTV Awards, I performed Les Grossman. We’ll see; that might be entertaining. Really, right now, I have no idea.
Along with Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, Bill Hader, and Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller, who also directed the film, was one of the notable actors who starred in it. When it came to its global box office total of over $195 million, the movie started as the top pick in America and stayed there for three weeks in a row.