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Actor Robert Downey Jr. and former professional boxer Mike Tyson worked together in director James Toback’s 1999 movieBlack and White. Downey Jr. played the lead role of Terry Donager while Tyson appeared as himself in the film. While filming a scene together, director James Toback asked Tyson to smack Downey Jr. seriously.
The film focuses on Rich Bower, a strong personality in the rap music industry, who is the subject of a documentary by two White filmmakers. However, things quickly go sideways as his dark past catches up to him amid this project. With most of the movie’s script being improvised,Black and Whitereceived mixed reviews from the audience but it definitely gave Downey Jr. a stepping stone during his struggling days.
Also read:“I don’t really want to go back”: Robert Downey Jr. Didn’t Want to Shoot One Endgame Scene for a Very Specific Reason
Mike Tyson was asked to smack Robert Downey Jr.
In 2014, former professional boxerMike Tysonappeared for an interview withWindy City Timesand during the interview, Tyson recalled the time he smackedRobert Downey Jr.in 1999’sBlack and Whitebecause the director asked him to do so,
“The director wanted me to really hit him and I didn’t want to. He said, ‘You gotta real do this st, man! If you want to be an actor then you have to smack the st out of him!'” adding, “It was real – a real smack. When he was on the floor he was kicking me and I yelled, ‘Ow!'”
The former boxer appeared as himself in the 1999 movieBlack and Whitewhile Downey Jr. played the role of Terry Donager. The film also featured Gaby Hoffmann, Allan Houston, Jared Leto, Scott Caan, Claudia Schiffer, Brooke Shields, Bijou Phillips, and members of the Wu-Tang Clan. On a budget of $12 million,Black and Whiteonly grossed about $5 million.
Also read:Story Behind The Iconic Photo of Mike Tyson in His Prime and Robert Downey Jr. When He Was Still a Struggling Actor in Hollywood
Robert Downey Jr. was struggling to find roles
During this period, Downey Jr. witnessed a sharp decline in his popularity. Between 1996 and 2001, he was arrested several times on charges related to drugs including cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. The actor struggled with drug addiction and was sent to rehab multiple times.
The shift in Downey Jr.’s career came in 2008 when he starred in two critically and commercially successful films,Iron ManandTropic Thunder. Initially, Marvel Studios was completely against the idea of hiring Downey Jr. because of his reckless past and damaged reputation.
Marvel wanted another actor to be the face of their Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, filmmaker Jon Favreau had different plans. With efforts from Kevin Feige, Favreau was able to convince the executives at Marvel to take the risk and the rest is history.
Related:Robert Downey Jr. Would’ve Never Let Marvel Do What They Just Did to Iron Man in Comics
Farhan Asif
Articles Published :1696
Farhan Asif is a gaming writer at FandomWire who specializes in video games/franchises like Helldivers 2, GTA, and Call of Duty. Apart from 1600+ published articles for FandomWire, he has also written more than 750 articles for AnimatedTimes. He has a passion for coding and is pursuing a degree in computer science. During his free time, Farhan loves to play video games and hopes to create a video game of his own one day.
