Robert Downey Jr. opens up about 'Dolittle' flop and his initial reservations

Robert Downey Jr. expressed his reservations about his involvement in the movie "Dolittle" long before its disappointing performance with audiences, according to a recent interview with The New York Times Magazine. 

The actor, known for his role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, reflected on his decision to star in and produce the 2020 film, which received scathing reviews from critics.

Upon completing his Marvel contract, Downey Jr., 52, hastily jumped into "Dolittle", believing it had the potential to become another successful franchise.

“I finished the Marvel contract and then hastily went into what had all the promise of being another big, fun, well-executed potential franchise in Dolittle,” Downey Jr., explained. 

He further added, “I had some reservations. Me and my team seemed a little too excited about the deal and not quite excited enough about the merits of the execution. But at that point I was bulletproof. I was the guru of all genre movies.”

The actor revealed to NYT that "Dolittle" was one of the two most significant films he has worked on in the past 25 years. However, he considered it a missed opportunity in terms of establishing a successful franchise, describing it as a two-and-a-half-year disappointment. 

“The stress it put on my missus as she rolled her sleeves up to her armpits to make it even serviceable enough to bring to market was shocking,” Downey Jr. added. 

The challenging experience prompted the couple to reassess their priorities and make changes to their closest business advisers.

“After that point — what’s that phrase? Never let a good crisis go to waste? — we had this reset of priorities and made some changes in who our closest business advisers were,” he shared.

Subsequently, they shifted their focus to producing the Netflix documentary Sr., which explores Downey Jr.'s relationship with his father, Robert Downey Sr., during the elder Downey's battle with Parkinson's Disease.