Robert Downey Jr. once described his drug addiction with chilling clarity. “It’s like I’ve got a shotgun in my mouth, with my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gunmetal” (via BBC News). He said that standing before a judge in 1999, facing a three-year prison sentence for violating parole.
The actor had battled substance abuse since childhood, admitting that he first tried drugs at the age of eight. By the time he was established, addiction had taken hold. In 1996, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, heroin, and a pistol after being stopped for speeding.
Despite multiple court-ordered rehab stints, he continued to relapse. Judge Lawrence Mira made it clear that leniency had run out. “I don’t believe your client is committed to not using drugs. You may call that addiction. But there is some level of choice.” With that, Robert Downey Jr. was sentenced.
At the time, he was already an Oscar-nominated actor, having received acclaim for his role in Chaplin. He’d also appeared in Natural Born Killers, One Night Stand, and U.S. Marshals. But his legal troubles overshadowed his career. His lawyer, Robert Shapiro – best known for defending O.J. Simpson – argued for mercy, but the court had little faith in Downey’s ability to stay clean.
Prison became a turning point. Though his sentence was three years, he was released early after serving about a year. His professional life remained rocky. He managed to land roles, but his personal demons followed him. By the early 2000s, he was still struggling, getting fired from TV’s Ally McBeal due to another drug-related arrest. Hollywood had all but written him off.
Downey turned it around with rehab, therapy, and Susan Levin’s support. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Zodiac revived him, but Iron Man in 2008 made him a Hollywood legend. Looking back, Robert Downey Jr.’s struggles were nearly his undoing. But his redemption story became just as legendary. The same industry that once turned its back on him now celebrates him as one of the greatest comeback stories in Hollywood history.
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