Is Robert Downey Jr. a miracle worker?
Poll: Robert Downey Jr. is astounding. I used to wake up and say, “Robert Downey Jr. is in this movie! I have to go work with him today.” At first it was terrifying because, how am I going to say anything to this guy? But he’s such a generous spirit on-screen and off. He takes on a role here that has some serious reflections on things in his personal past, and that’s pretty brave. And he wasn’t doing this movie to buy a Rolls-Royce, he was doing it because he responded to the material. The first time I talked to him I said, “You know, Robert, if this was 20 years ago, you would’ve been Charlie Bartlett,” and he laughed knowingly. His character’s relationship with Charlie is a big part of the movie because he’s more Charlie’s father than Charlie’s real father, and he starts out as a complete antagonist. Most teen movie you have a bad-ass kid who’s dealing drugs, going after his daughter, selling fight videos, and just causing trouble in his school, and he (Downey’s character, Principal
