Everything to Know About Robert Downey Jr. on SNL
The Oscar-winner joined the show for perhaps its most controversial year.
Robert Downey, Jr. is known for his blockbuster movie career, including his iconic portrayal of Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and an Academy Award-winning performance in Oppenheimer. But he also has sketch comedy on his resume. Many fans don’t realize he was a full-time cast member of SNL — and it was during one of the most controversial seasons in the show’s history.
To celebrate the show's 50th anniversary, Peacock is diving deep in a four-part docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, available to stream now, and takes a closer look at that tumultuous time in Episode 3, titled "The Weird Year."
Here's everything to know about Robert Downey Jr.’s time on SNL.
When was Robert Downey Jr. on SNL?
The 11th season marked the return of Lorne Michaels after a five-year absence, and he brought along a whole new cast of up-and-comers. Downey Jr — along with fellow budding stars Anthony Michael Hall and Joan Cusack — appeared on SNL in 1985-1986, and none other than Madonna hosted the first episode. Though the season had plenty of detractors and received lackluster ratings, there were many highlights over those 18 episodes, including the emergence of soon-to-be SNL stalwarts Jon Lovitz, Nora Dunn, and Dennis Miller.
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How was Robert Downey Jr. cast on SNL?
When Michaels returned to SNL in 1985, he wanted a total revamp of the show, including a new cast that would attract a younger audience. Michael first tapped Anthony Michael Hall, who, though still a teenager, had already starred in a number of popular films, including National Lampoon's Vacation, and the John Hughes-directed teen hits Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. Hall brought along his friend, Downey Jr., who he'd just co-starred with in 1985’s Weird Science. Downey Jr. was just 20.
Robert Downey Jr.'s memorable moments on SNL
Despite only being on the show for one season, Downey Jr. made audiences laugh with his impressions of Elvis Presley, John Mellencamp, and George Michael. In one memorable "Weekend Update," he and Michael Hall played literary correspondents who couldn’t stop making farting noises during a book review. He proved adept at portraying a snooty actor in “Actors on Film,” with Nora Dunn, where the duo tore apart popular movies and bragged about their Hollywood connections.
“I learned so much in that year of who I wasn’t,” he later recalled in a 2019 interview with filmmaker and photographer Sam Jones. “I was not going to come up with a catchphrase. I was not somebody who was going to do impressions. I was somebody ill-suited to rapid-fire sketch comedy,” he stated.
“But I can still say, to this day, there’s not a more exciting 90 minutes you can have, whether you’re any good or not. It’s just amazing.”
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