Why No One Ever Stopped Robert Downey Jr. From Eating on the ‘Avengers’ Set
You’d think that actors starring in blockbuster action films, like those of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, would have to watch their diet and be extra careful about what they eat. The superstars playing the Marvel action heroes in movies like The Avengers need to be in top shape at all times while filming to be able to keep up with the physical demand. But one Marvel superstar has some funny quirks when it comes to food, and his costars find it hilarious.
Robert Downey Jr.’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Actor Robert Downey Jr. famously plays the character Tony Stark (whose superhero identity is Iron Man) in many Marvel films, including The Avengers and Iron Man. He started playing this role back in 2008 with the first Iron Man film, and he has made Iron Man come to life in a total of 10 Marvel movies, with a cameo in an 11th. The life of Tony Stark came to an end in Avengers: Endgame, but Downey Jr. has expressed that he would be willing to return to the franchise if Gwyneth Paltrow were to reprise the role of Pepper Potts.
Downey Jr. has been one of the driving forces behind Marvel’s success in recent years, and his salary proves it. It’s estimated that he has made over $200 million from his roles in the Marvel franchise alone and walked away with a whopping $75 million for his finale playing Tony Stark in Endgame. Considering that he only made half a million dollars for the first Iron Man movie, it seems clear that this pay is evidence of just how much Marvel values him.
The physical demand of filming Marvel movies
Even with stunt doubles, filming for a Marvel movie is intense physical work for the actors.
We can look at Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor in the franchise, as an example. In Avengers: Endgame, Thor is fat and depressed. Hemsworth thankfully didn’t have to put on weight for the role, but he did have to wear a fat suit. The suit was so heavy that it started to give Hemsworth back troubles. On top of that, sometimes two films are being shot at once: Hemsworth was still filming Infinity War at the time filming for Endgame had begun, and his character is very physical.
Not to mention that in general, the directors revealed that the cast needed to film up to 15 hours a day, 7 days a week for an entire year to complete a movie. Filming was so physically demanding that the directors started to worry about Hemsworth’s physical health.
Considering how intense the physical demand is to film these movies, you’d think that every cast member would be extra cautious about their eating habits – but it seems like that’s not so for Robert Downey Jr.
Downey Jr. hides food around the movie set
Downey Jr.’s costars have revealed a hilarious quirk that he has when he’s filming: apparently, he brings his own food onto set and hides it so that he can eat it during scenes! In a live interview with the Huffington Post recently, Downey Jr.’s co-star for his upcoming film The Judge, Vincent D’Onofrio, revealed that the Marvel actor continues this quirk even when he’s not playing Tony Stark.
“Downey does hide food all over set,” D’Onofrio revealed. He added, “I’m not going to tell you why. But he does. It makes perfect sense.” This behavior of Downey’s isn’t new; stars of The Avengers also noticed that he was bringing food to set. Fans can see him eating the food during the scenes.
However, the directors let him continue with this behavior because it provided comedic relief for its hardworking cast and crew. It makes sense, after knowing how grueling filming can be!
