Robert Downey Jr was confident he'd beat Al Pacino to an Oscar but was greatly humbled

July 17, 2024

Robert Downey Jr has recently spoken about being “cocky” ahead of the 1993 Oscars where he was nominated for the first time.

The actor was nominated at the Oscars for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in the film Chaplin and was nominated alongside other big stars. He was up against other big names including Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, and Stephen Rea. However, despite thinking he would take home the accolade for Best Actor, Al Pacino won the title that year for his performance in the movie Scent of a Woman.

Robert Downey Jr was humbled when Al Pacino won Best Actor at the Oscars

In an interview with TV host Jimmy Kimmel, Robert Downey Jr recalled how he felt when Al Pacino’s name was called instead of his at the Oscars in 1993. Robert, who was 26 at the time, said he believed “they must have misread that.”

“I just remember they were like ‘and the Oscar goes to … Al Pacino!’ and I was like ‘They must have misread that,’ he explained, getting a laugh from the audience.

“Because when you’re 26, you’re so cocky. You know, when you’re in your 20s, you’re like ‘everything’s gonna go my way forever’ and then life kicks you in the sack.”

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“So until the moment you heard Al Pacino’s name you felt certain that you were going to win?” asked Jimmy.

“Nobody else did except me,” said Robert, “made it even weirder!”

The celebrity was then asked if he’d written a speech which he’d had to “destroy later.” The 58-year-old couldn’t seem to remember if he’d written one. But he joked: “I mean, I think if I had a speech written in my pocket, it was probably written on a piece of papyrus. I mean, look at that outfit.”

Earlier, the two men had joked about Robert’s outfit he’d worn to the ceremony. He wore a black suit, white shirt, and a tie which he claimed was a “Little Shop of Horrors tie.” He was repulsed by his choice of outfit.

Winning an Oscar would have been the “worst” thing for Robert

In another interview on The View, Robert Downey Jr, who is up for Best Supporting Actor at this year’s Oscars, said he was thankful to have lost to Al Pacino in 1993 as it would have “put him under the wrong impression.”.

The Hollywood star is nominated alongside many of his cast and crew as Oppenheimer has received a whopping 13 nominations.

“I was young and crazy. It would have put me under the impression that I was on the right track,” he explained. He told the panel it would have been the “worst thing” for his career.

Robert has been open in the past about becoming sober and has had some substance abuse troubles in the past. In the Netflix documentary, Sr, about his dad, he recalled his addiction.

He said: “It was just a wild era. That whole world, it gets tied into creativity. We were all altering our consciousness with substances. I was just kinda playing a game of just wanting to self-soothe or just stay loaded rather than deal with the fact that things had gone off the tracks a little bit.”

“Honestly, more than anything, I look back and go: ‘It’s shocking that a single movie came out finished,” he added.

If you’ve been affected by this story, you can contact American Addiction Centers on (877) 686-7688 or Talk To Frank on 0300 123 6600 in the UK.

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