NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� made his Broadway debut this week in the play 鈥淢cNeal,鈥� revealing some unexpected inspirations that helped him prepare for the stage.
鈥凄辞颈苍驳 with (Christopher) Nolan got me back into this very monastic focus and then doing got me into this kind of flexibility. And that was very different because of playing multiple characters,鈥� Downey said.
The Oscar winner for his role in 鈥淥ppenheimer鈥� stated that those two projects provided the confidence boost he needed. Without them, he said 鈥淚 believe I would be in a much more precarious situation.鈥�
Downey also sought advice from who earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance in 鈥淭he Elephant Man鈥� in 2015.
鈥淗e said, 鈥楧ude, just remember, you鈥檙e going to feel your feet in your shoes. You鈥檙e going to walk out onto that stage and the audience is going to be like a pillow.鈥� And I was, like, well, that鈥檚 pretty positive. So I鈥檓 going to take the Bradley Cooper approach and let it be a beautiful thing.鈥�
鈥淢cNeal鈥� is a one-act play by that delves into themes of artificial intelligence, artistic integrity, plagiarism and copyright infringement. Downey plays the titular character, Jacob McNeal, an acclaimed novelist whose battles with alcoholism and mental illness culminate at a crucial juncture in his career.
The special effects in the play also provided the 鈥淚ron Man鈥� actor with a comfort zone, calling a project with effects 鈥渟trangely natural.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a security blanket to know that it鈥檚 a tech-friendly show. I鈥檝e been weirdly tied to storytelling about technology, about the dangers and the options set for technology. So it feels just kind of like a deeper exploration of the same thing,鈥� he said.
Reflecting on the challenges of preparing for his Broadway debut, Downey shared his approach to staying focused
鈥淢ore than anything, it鈥檚 just a matter of what I tend to do anyway 鈥� when I鈥檓 really hunkering down on something 鈥� is you got to live a monastic lifestyle. You got to put all your energy into your job and not have too many distractions. New York City is really distracting.鈥�
And, of course, this included navigating the midtown traffic on his way to the press day for the interview.
鈥淚 was rattled because I鈥檓 used to waking up in Malibu with, you know, hummingbirds. So the only thing I鈥檓 anticipating is needing to control as much as I can in my environment so I can bring the best version of myself to bear for the theatergoing public.鈥�
John Carucci, The Associated Press
