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Robert Downey Jr. Was ‘Born To Be Iron Man,’ Says Marvel’s Stan Lee, And Why Mark Zuckerberg Asked Downey Jr. For Help

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 19:51 PST, Nov 15, 2016

Robert Downey Jr. has strengthened his foothold in Hollywood by playing some of the most memorable characters in the history of cinema. Famous roles like Charlie Chaplin in Sir Richard Attenborough’s Chaplin and Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes movie series have made the actor extremely popular with both young and old moviegoers.

His portrayal of Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe made Robert Downey Jr. a household name worldwide. In fact, Comic Book reports that Stan Lee, responsible for creating some of the most memorable characters in the Marvel Comics universe like Spider-Man and The Hulk, believes that Robert Downey Jr. was born to be Iron Man.

“That man was born to be Iron Man, you know? He’d be on the top of the list. Whoever does the casting for Marvel is a genius.”

Throughout his career, the talented actor has impressed great directors who, in turn, helped the artist achieve his success. It’s a well-known fact that Sir Richard Attenborough produced Chaplin with Robert Downey Jr. in mind, and the famous director paid no heed to studio executives who wanted to cast either Robin Williams or Billy Crystal in the role.

Similarly, Guy Ritchie perceived Downey Jr. to be the perfect actor to play his muscular Sherlock Holmes, who’s character in the movie seems more like an action hero than a pondering detective.

Downey Jr.’s character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has now influenced none other than Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, who has developed a similar artificially intelligent assistant – Jarvis – to the virtual assistant built by Tony Stark from the Iron Man movies. Zuckerberg wants Robert Downey Jr. to lend his voice to AI Jarvis, his AI assistant, who can be programmed to complete tasks like temperature control and automatic light control.

Zuckerberg also hopes to use AI Jarvis to mind his baby daughter when she’s alone in a room. According to Fortune, Mark Zuckerberg’s eventual plan is to deploy his AI system in at his workplace.

“[AI Jarvis] will help me visualize data in VR to help me build better services and lead my organizations more effectively.”

According to ABC, Robert Downey Jr. has agreed to use his voice on the system, on the condition that Zuckerberg abides by a certain clause.

“I’ll do it in a heartbeat if Bettany gets paid and donates it to a cause of Cumberbatch’s choosing… that’s the right kind of STRANGE!”

Presumably, Robert Downey Jr. was referring to actor Paul Bettany who plays Jarvis in the Iron Man films, and Benedict Cumberbatch who plays Dr. Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Today, Robert Downey Jr. is a well-known personality who’s very much in control of his career. However, there was a time not so long ago when the Gothika actor’s career was almost destroyed by drug abuse. Downey Jr. has reportedly been arrested a number of occasions for not only possessing drugs but also consuming them. In fact, he’s been in and out of rehabilitation centers many times and has unfortunately relapsed many times.

After years of struggle, the actor finally overcame his addiction; however, before seeking professional help for his drug addiction, Robert Downey Jr. was supported and cared for by his former girlfriend, Sarah Jessica Parker. Downey Jr. and Parker were in a seven-year relationship before the actor’s drug addiction destroyed their relationship. According to Vanity Fair, Robert Downey Jr. spoke about the support Sarah Jessica provided when he was struggling with his addiction.

“I liked to drink, and I had a drug problem, and that didn’t jibe with Sarah Jessica, because it is the furthest thing from what she is. She provided me a home and understanding. She tried to help me.”

Even though Sarah Jessica Parker has moved on with her life, the actress still recalls the days when she cared for Downey Jr. According to Entertainment Weekly, Sarah Jessica spoke about how her relationship with the former drug addict enabled her to improve her parenting skills.

“It taught me a little bit about being a parent, too, because the things that I ended up caring about and the way I cared for Downey, were things that might be more suitable for a parent.”

[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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