Rock Bottom - Robert Downey Jr.

About this episode

The episode explores the tumultuous life of Robert Downey Jr. during the mid-90s, highlighting his struggles with addiction and legal troubles.

In the mid-90s, Robert Downey Jr. was widely considered the most gifted actor of his generation. But while critics were comparing him to Chaplin, the LAPD was seeing a man spiraling toward a tragic end. From a high-speed arrest on Sunset Boulevard with a .357 Magnum to the infamous afternoon he wandered into a neighbor's home and fell asleep in a child's bed, Downey’s life became a series of "front-page" disasters that nearly silenced one of cinema’s brightest lights.

Topics covered

• addiction
• celebrity
• crime
• Hollywood
• personal struggles

Keywords

• Robert Downey Jr.
• addiction
• LAPD
• Hollywood
• celebrity downfall
• crime
• 90s actors

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: LAPD

Books & works: Chaplin

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