All language subtitles for Setting the Tone - Casting Robert Downey Jr (ada1)

KEVIN FEIGE:
The journey of the entire
Marvel Cinematic Universe

started with the journey
of Tony Stark.

MAN: Much better
than the big old...ROBERT DOWNEY JR.: Oh, yeah.

...clunky, clunky monkey.And that sound is great.

I think it looks
a little large, too,

but I think we might be able
to get away with it all.

FEIGE: Going back to Favreau
and Robert Downey Jr.

and the founding moments
of Marvel Studios,

we said, "We want the hero
to be as interesting
out of costume

"as they are in costume."

SARAH HALLEY FINN:
I had just been hired
to cast the first Iron Man.

Jon Favreau was on board
at that time

and I remember asking him

in a meeting with everyone,

"Tell me all the qualities

"that you think
are most important."

Fast, quick-witted
and funny and dynamic

and a bit troubled
and confident

and brilliant
and all of these things.

And we really kept
coming back to Downey.

DOWNEY JR.: Stan Lee
said he kind of created
him on a dare.

Could you make a billionaire
weapons manufacturer,

philandering philanthropist,
you know,

who largely lives an ugly
and irresponsible immoral
psychology?

To peace!

If you look at Downey
in his early work, you know,

it's amazing. I mean,
look at Chaplin.

You look atLess Than Zero.

I mean, they're tough
characters to watch.

Robert Downey Jr.
at that point in his career

wasn't necessarily
a family-friendly name.

Today it's ridiculous,
but at the time,

it was, "Whoa! Risky casting
Robert Downey Jr."

The truth was
we got to a point

that we realized
if we didn't cast him,

that would have been
the biggest risk.

JON FAVREAU:
Robert had a whole career
of great work behind him,

and he was at a point
in his life and his career

where he was ready
to break out

and do something really big
and exciting.

FINN: Jon was in love
with the idea
of Downey playing the part,

and we all felt
so sure about him
on a creative level.

Because he wasn't instantly
a slam dunk approval,

I suggested
we have screen tests.

I remember walking in
with Robert Downey Jr.
the day of the tests.

He was laughing
and in great spirits
and completely at ease,

and he got in front
of the camera
and started saying the lines.

I assure you the day weapons
are no longer needed
to keep the peace,

I'll happily transition
to manufacturing
bricks and beams

for baby hospitals,
making hemp pants
and the like,

but until that time,
can I get you a drink?

I don't want to call it
an out-of-body experience,

but it was one of those rushes

that I'm sure, like,
somebody would feel
if they're about to play

a big sporting arena,

playing for the ring
or something like that.

It was just like,
"Am I gonna pass out
or am I gonna nail this?"

On that day
that Robert screen tested,

it was clear
that there was no one else
who can play that part.

It was magic.
It was exactly the feeling
as a casting director,

with Kevin, with Jon,
with everyone

that we all wanted
to have that feeling, like,

"We have it. This is it.
This is Iron Man."

Iron Man 1was incredibly special.

We sort of improv-ed
the whole thing.

We laughed. We cried.

We got very,
very close on that movie.

FAVREAU: We were
the first Marvel movie
as a studio.

You know, there was
no real model for it yet.

Nobody expected
too much of it.

He's Iron Man.

We wanted to make
a good quality film,

a good story, something
that was smart enough,
funny enough.

I still remember Tony
landing in the high desert

in the eastern Sierras
when he escapes the cave,

and I was buried
up to my neck in sand
and the storm was coming in

and we only had
a couple minutes
to get this take.

And it was like God's grace
just came in

and gave us the take
that was in the movie.

Not bad.

I loved the first movie
so much.

I was just so carried away
by the story.

It was funny. It was clever. It was witty.

Let's face it,
this is not the worst thing
you've caught me doing.

MARK RUFFALO: By casting Robert Downey Jr.,

they were intent on breaking

the tradition and mold
of these types of movies.

BRIE LARSON: It was
an unexpected choice
at the time.

And so it made
for this really dynamic,

really surprising performance.

Was that so hard?

He's so bright and so fast
and it takes you so long

to catch up with him
and it's perfect
for that character.

Good luck keeping up.

I think most of us
have been pretty vocal
about what he started,

and without him, none of us
would be in this position.

CHRIS EVANS:
He really is the patriarch.

I think he really understood

the weight
of the responsibility
with these movies.

Iron Man 1changed the genre.

And I think the casting
of Robert Downey
signaled to the world

that we are serious
about our characters

and we really respect
them in a way

that we're gonna hire
the best actors possible.

DOWNEY JR.: It really was
just this perfect storm.

I had hypnotized myself
into such a state
of confidence

that I was certain...

everything
we were doing worked,

and, uh,
the rest is history.

I am Iron Man.