So, Robert Downey Jr. ain’t backing down when it comes to Tropic Thunder, the 2008 flick where he caught some heat for rocking blackface. The 58-year-old Oppenheimer star has been defending his role as Kirk Lazarus, the method actor extraordinaire, who thought it was a genius move to go blackface for the part of Sgt Lincoln Osiris. The action-comedy, also starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and a totally unrecognizable Tom Cruise, was a box office smash, raking in a cool $195.7 million.
Despite the success, the blackface choice didn’t sit well with everyone, and RDJ has been on a mission to set the record straight. In a recent sit-down on Rob Lowe’s Literally! podcast, he dropped some knowledge, comparing Tropic Thunder to the legendary sitcom All in the Family, which tackled racism back in the day.
“I was checking out All in the Family, and they had this little disclaimer running at the beginning,” RDJ spilled. “Look it up because it’s the cure for this clickbait addiction to outrage people seem hooked on these days.”
Variety reported that the All in the Family disclaimer went something like this: “This show’s gonna poke fun at our flaws, biases, and worries. By turning them into laughs, we’re hoping to show, in a grown-up way, just how ridiculous they are.”
RDJ doubled down, saying, “The vibe that Stiller brought to Tropic Thunder was all about flipping the bird at these tired tropes that needed to be put to rest. It’s like, ‘Hey, we know this seems sketchy, but here’s why we’re doing it.’ Back then, the audience got it, but now things are just all sorts of muddy.”
And for the record, Ben Stiller isn’t budging either. He’s proudly standing by Tropic Thunder, making it crystal clear he’s got “no apologies” and giving a shoutout to the entire crew for their hard work. The controversy might linger, but these guys are standing tall.
