Movies
Downey Jr: 'Iron Man' is light and simple
Published Friday, Apr 25 2008, 16:43 BST | By Simon Reynolds
Rex Features
Speaking at the UK premiere of the movie, the actor admitted that he and director Jon Favreau wanted to take the character in a different direction from darker superhero films.
He said: "Jon and I are big fans of what [Christopher] Nolan was able to do with Christian Bale in revising the whole Batman franchise. They did this very dark and complex take on a superhero. We felt they did that about as good as can be done so we tried light and simple."
The 43-year-old, who plays billionaire industrialist Tony Stark in the film, added that playing such a physically demanding role took its toll.
"Considering I was 41 when I was cast and turned 42 while we were shooting, I felt like I was visiting my retirement by the way I felt in the mornings," he said.
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