Downey’s winning confidence

Robert Downey Jr. likes to think he’s the most talented actor alive, said Chris Heath in GQ. “But it’s not that big a deal,” says Downey, 48. “It’s not like this is the greatest generation of actors that has ever come down the pike.” What sets Downey above the competition, he says, is his supreme self-confidence—a trick for overcoming classic actor self-doubt—and his refusal to overact. “I don’t like opening doors and looking surprised. I can do all that emo stuff, but I’m so over everyone who has to have a meltdown—everybody is emotional all the time. In movies people seem to be more emotional than they would ever be if that situation was actually happening to them.” Downey isn’t bothered by the fact that he hasn’t won an Oscar yet. “I know it’s going to happen. That’s just a fact. I personally would be shocked if we went to the end of the tape and I didn’t have at least one.” Why? “Because it just doesn’t make sense. That’s why I don’t mind showing up to the [Academy Awards] and watching everybody else get them.” Will one be enough? “No, I should probably have more. But zero’s fine. Zero, or two.”

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