Downey Jr: 'Film made my addiction worse'

Robert Downey Jr. has claimed that his role in cult film Less Than Zero contributed to his subsequent drug addiction.

The actor, who is now clean, said his substance abuse spiralled out of control after he played a cocaine addict in the 1987 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's novel.

He was jailed for a year in 1999 for missing mandatory court-imposed drug tests and suffered a well-publicised relapse after his release.

He is quoted as saying: "Until that movie I took my drugs after work and on the weekends. That changed on Less Than Zero. The role was like the ghost of Christmas Future. I became an exaggeration of the character."

Downey Jr. recently claimed that he is now addicted to vitamins and minerals, commenting: "Anyone who doesn't need their yin tonified is beyond me."

The 43-year-old can currently be seen in superhero blockbuster Iron Man.