Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow.Photo:Monica Schipper/FilmMagic; Jon Kopaloff/Getty; Pascal Le Segretain/GettyEven beforeRobert Downey Jr.became a bankable star and Oscar winner,Jon Favreaucould see the actor’s impact on any film was electric.“Robert is always interesting,” he tells PEOPLE. “Thatis a superpower.”Which is why Favreau cast Downey as the lead in 2008’sIron Man, a movie that would cement the star’s leading-man status and launch the multi-billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe.Part of the film’s success can be credited to Downey’s chemistry with costarGwyneth Paltrow. He plays Tony Stark, a genius inventor who becomes the superhero known as Iron Man. Paltrow stars as Pepper Potts, Stark’s whip-smart assistant.The breezy back-and-forth they have in the movie is reflective of the actors’ real conversations — in part because Favreau incorporated it into the film.Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man’.Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock“I was a very good student where I would take notes as they would talk, and whether it was improvising or even just talking about the scene, I would write stuff down that they would say,” he recalls.“Gwyneth corrected him once because we were reading the script and it said, ‘This looks like Jackson Pollock’s spring period,’ ” says Favreau. “And then she corrected us in rehearsal.”Continues Favreau about Paltrow, “She says, ‘No, it’s actually The Springs period. The Springs is the part of the Hamptons where Jackson Pollock lived and worked, not spring, not the season.’ ”Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man 2’.Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock“So I wrote down every word, and she’s correcting him in the movie when he says, ‘the spring period.’ So it just adds to their sort of nippy banter. I find it thoroughly compelling and entertaining to watch the two of them on screen together because they had this banter that has an edge to it. ““They complement each other so well,” he adds. “They’re so different, but yet [have] so much mutual respect and admiration. I love that.”Favreau, who also worked with Downey onIron Man 2andChef, says theSherlock Holmesstar is dedicated and always comes prepared.Robert Downey Jr. on the cover of PEOPLE’s Oscars issue.©A.M.P.A.S./Matt Sayles/courtesy of the Academy“He has a tremendous amount of respect for the profession, and he wants to make sure that he’s doing his part,” says Favreau. “It’s game day.”That’s part of the reason it’s so gratifying for Favreau to see his friend sweep awards season for playing scheming government bureaucrat Lewis Strauss inChristopher Nolan’sOppenheimer.“It’s nice that the sun is shining on him, because it takes turns,” says Favreau. “You really get the sense that he’s putting things in perspective, and he seems to be understanding what this moment means.”
Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow.Photo:Monica Schipper/FilmMagic; Jon Kopaloff/Getty; Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
Monica Schipper/FilmMagic; Jon Kopaloff/Getty; Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
Even beforeRobert Downey Jr.became a bankable star and Oscar winner,Jon Favreaucould see the actor’s impact on any film was electric.“Robert is always interesting,” he tells PEOPLE. “Thatis a superpower.”Which is why Favreau cast Downey as the lead in 2008’sIron Man, a movie that would cement the star’s leading-man status and launch the multi-billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe.Part of the film’s success can be credited to Downey’s chemistry with costarGwyneth Paltrow. He plays Tony Stark, a genius inventor who becomes the superhero known as Iron Man. Paltrow stars as Pepper Potts, Stark’s whip-smart assistant.The breezy back-and-forth they have in the movie is reflective of the actors’ real conversations — in part because Favreau incorporated it into the film.Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man’.Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock“I was a very good student where I would take notes as they would talk, and whether it was improvising or even just talking about the scene, I would write stuff down that they would say,” he recalls.“Gwyneth corrected him once because we were reading the script and it said, ‘This looks like Jackson Pollock’s spring period,’ ” says Favreau. “And then she corrected us in rehearsal.”Continues Favreau about Paltrow, “She says, ‘No, it’s actually The Springs period. The Springs is the part of the Hamptons where Jackson Pollock lived and worked, not spring, not the season.’ ”Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man 2’.Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock“So I wrote down every word, and she’s correcting him in the movie when he says, ‘the spring period.’ So it just adds to their sort of nippy banter. I find it thoroughly compelling and entertaining to watch the two of them on screen together because they had this banter that has an edge to it. ““They complement each other so well,” he adds. “They’re so different, but yet [have] so much mutual respect and admiration. I love that.”Favreau, who also worked with Downey onIron Man 2andChef, says theSherlock Holmesstar is dedicated and always comes prepared.Robert Downey Jr. on the cover of PEOPLE’s Oscars issue.©A.M.P.A.S./Matt Sayles/courtesy of the Academy“He has a tremendous amount of respect for the profession, and he wants to make sure that he’s doing his part,” says Favreau. “It’s game day.”That’s part of the reason it’s so gratifying for Favreau to see his friend sweep awards season for playing scheming government bureaucrat Lewis Strauss inChristopher Nolan’sOppenheimer.“It’s nice that the sun is shining on him, because it takes turns,” says Favreau. “You really get the sense that he’s putting things in perspective, and he seems to be understanding what this moment means.”
Even beforeRobert Downey Jr.became a bankable star and Oscar winner,Jon Favreaucould see the actor’s impact on any film was electric.
“Robert is always interesting,” he tells PEOPLE. “Thatis a superpower.”
Which is why Favreau cast Downey as the lead in 2008’sIron Man, a movie that would cement the star’s leading-man status and launch the multi-billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Part of the film’s success can be credited to Downey’s chemistry with costarGwyneth Paltrow. He plays Tony Stark, a genius inventor who becomes the superhero known as Iron Man. Paltrow stars as Pepper Potts, Stark’s whip-smart assistant.
The breezy back-and-forth they have in the movie is reflective of the actors’ real conversations — in part because Favreau incorporated it into the film.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man’.Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
“I was a very good student where I would take notes as they would talk, and whether it was improvising or even just talking about the scene, I would write stuff down that they would say,” he recalls.
“Gwyneth corrected him once because we were reading the script and it said, ‘This looks like Jackson Pollock’s spring period,’ ” says Favreau. “And then she corrected us in rehearsal.”
Continues Favreau about Paltrow, “She says, ‘No, it’s actually The Springs period. The Springs is the part of the Hamptons where Jackson Pollock lived and worked, not spring, not the season.’ ”
Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Iron Man 2’.Marvel/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
“So I wrote down every word, and she’s correcting him in the movie when he says, ‘the spring period.’ So it just adds to their sort of nippy banter. I find it thoroughly compelling and entertaining to watch the two of them on screen together because they had this banter that has an edge to it. "
“They complement each other so well,” he adds. “They’re so different, but yet [have] so much mutual respect and admiration. I love that.”
Favreau, who also worked with Downey onIron Man 2andChef, says theSherlock Holmesstar is dedicated and always comes prepared.
Robert Downey Jr. on the cover of PEOPLE’s Oscars issue.©A.M.P.A.S./Matt Sayles/courtesy of the Academy
©A.M.P.A.S./Matt Sayles/courtesy of the Academy
“He has a tremendous amount of respect for the profession, and he wants to make sure that he’s doing his part,” says Favreau. “It’s game day.”
That’s part of the reason it’s so gratifying for Favreau to see his friend sweep awards season for playing scheming government bureaucrat Lewis Strauss inChristopher Nolan’sOppenheimer.
“It’s nice that the sun is shining on him, because it takes turns,” says Favreau. “You really get the sense that he’s putting things in perspective, and he seems to be understanding what this moment means.”
source: people.com
