Robert Downey Jr. Comes Clean About His Addictions | Letterman

Here's a fascinating guy and a really great talent, a wonderful actor, Robert Downey Jr., and here, here's a guy who has struggled a lot with his particular problems and I think he'll be the first to tell you. set of demons and now I understand that he is better, he is

clean

, he is sober and as you know it is a lifelong struggle so we will talk to him about that in many other things and I respect the fact that he is brave. enough to come on this show because he's actually pretty nice because I made jokes about him all those years when he had his struggles and he's smart enough to know, well, we were just joking and that's why he's coming on the show tonight. "I think it's a good thing, since our first guest is an Academy Award-nominated actor starring in a new movie called, it's already out today.

Here's Robert Downey Jr. Welcome back, well, thank you. I just want to say a couple of things you've already done." I've been here for eight years and Lord knows we can only guess at the personal struggle you seem to have overcome now, but in all honesty, I never thought I'd see you again. I just thought there's a lost human being here, obviously not. I was wrong, my apologies for that and my congratulations for the fight that has consumed the last eight years, of which obviously, as I said, you have taken control, now it's good, I appreciate that yes, now, that means that the jokes and the monologue.

They're out for now, well, we'll see how you behave, oh, just checking, okay, as long as I keep my side of the street

clean

, you don't mind, give me a damn break, that's great, but now, do you mind if I ask you a couple of things? Questions about the nature of an addiction like yours and yours really must have had you by the throat apparently right uhhuh it's it's it's it's it's circumstantial it's emotional it's psychological it's environmental what is the root of an addiction what is As powerful as that, that people are actually willing to walk to the edge of hell and look inside, uh, remember, when you talk about sex before, yeah, it feels good, yeah, well, imagine if sex got really ugly and you couldn't stop. but every time you know that kind of thing, sex gets really ugly after a certain point, how are you doing?

What I would say is, wait a minute, I don't know. I guess not, I was actually making Paris imagine if I I mean, the truth is that it's a combination of things that I don't know, no, I'm not an expert, I just, you know, I'm very glad that nowadays don't occupy my thoughts and, right? but you know I don't really know anyone who hasn't had some kind of encounter with it, whether it's a family member or whatever, and I'm glad I'm sitting here and I was not part of the monologue   and and and and and and what do you know about yourself right now that you know that you didn't know 10 years ago what what you understand well I don't want to get too right-wing about the whole thing, but I think ultimately it's kind of a moral dilemma, although a lot of programs and approaches say no, I'm not saying that it's just that I'm sure there's a spiritual aspect to it, but I think a lot of it is like you have reasonable control over what you do, what you put in your mouth with your hands, you know how to write things down.

I think ultimately you just have to do it and I think getting a little older helps too. MH, yeah, when you see someone like Rush, limbo. and he had a problem with prescription painkillers and went for five weeks to some kind of rehab and apparently he's fine now, does that ring true to you or not? I would say, well, initially, I mean, a couple of years ago, I just said, wow. he's got a lot of pills, I'm wondering if I can put him in touch, um, but I mean, no, no, I mean, my experience is there's a lot of jokes about it, like people go to rehab and some at 30 days.

I'm wondering now they're the recovery Rangers and they've been through the dry spin and now they have I'm fine, I've got it all together you, no one's fine, it doesn't work that way, I don't think so, yeah, ongoing process. One step at a time, I'm sure now there were times when you thought I can't control this, it's over. Might as well end it all if you were that desperate. Well, Dave, uh, that's funny, you should ask. Don't know. I mean, you know. I was surprised to admit that when I was, you know, locked up in a California correctional facility, I was like, wow, this isn't really working out for me, yeah, maybe I should, you know, kind of take a look around.

Wow, I have like a razor and I'm eating Top Ramen soup and I could jump to the beard in two hours, huh, maybe let me think that this story, yeah, I could have taken a wrong turn, several hundred thousand wrong turns, uh, and you have a son, yeah, now also you looking at your life now and superimposing that possibility on your son just scares the hell out of you oh, I'll lock him up in a second, yeah, yeah, and what are you going to do to help him avoid that, um, some people say there's a genetic component or predisposition I think ultimately again it's about I'm glad there's a positive side effect which is that the whole thing doesn't seem glamorous to you and, um, and I'm very vocal about it. oh really. that's also what I want to say again today is like I don't know that and I'm a little hesitant to say this but I think every repercussion you have is negative when you're doing something self destructive whether it seems supportive or people will say oh oh, he's just trying to get the system going and get another shot of rehab.

I mean, I just think, like you know, I said I'd lock him up, yeah, yeah, I would, yeah, and how long have you been away from this? lifestyle uh, it's, it's been, it's been a couple of years, good for you, good for you, okay, and you recently got engaged, congratulations on that, well, thank you, when are you getting married? when?, the day we do it, there you have it. Can you tell us a little about the woman? Sure, her name is Susan, we met her in Gotha, which is this movie that came out today and she was a producer, but it wasn't so inappropriate that we waited until after we finished filming more or less yeah   yeah and and and what about uh she you attracted to her and what if you attracted her to you and I can't speak for her mhm um although I would like to and occasionally I try and she shuts me down um but she's just great she's very smart and uh she has a good job you know and uh you're nervous about this this will be your I guess your second marriage on a scale of 1 to 10 of the things that I I'm nervous about no, she should be nervous I'm not nervous at all, well, well, but she really shouldn't, Yeah, you know, tell me we mentioned your son, who is 10 years old and loves soccer.

The big football industrialists, their team is number one in the league and I think they are the number one that has had the most scores in the league and that's where I could get into some trouble, in fact I tell you the truth being a soccer dad and I don't like it when the opposing team starts talking bad about, you know, hey, number seven, don't let them score on you, I say, like you know that's what you're talking about, India, you want to take this to someone else level, they say no, we are. watching a soccer game with 10 year olds, I think aha, I see who you are now, you know whatever, all that, like jail, jail, Bob's things come out, ha, Bob, huh, but what Do you have plans for the On vacation everyone will get together, I guess somewhere, well, actually, yes, Susan, I and India are going to go hang out with Woody Harlson in Hawaii, ah, don't worry, I I knew, look right away, it's just a and I know Woody. harelson a little bit about being on the show, he seems like a lovely guy, yes, but there is another notion regarding Woody that I'm not sure if it's true or not and if it's true, I'm not sure, is that good company what does?

Is it great to come? I don't know what people you believe. I'm going to end up like you know, jumping and eating mangoes hidden in a tree or something. No. No, I have reasonable control over what I do. Put it in my mouth and now how about this like in Toronto where thousands and thousands of people came to this big day of yoga and you said ride your bike to conserve fossil fuels well. Of course, now what we have is, you know, 20,000 people high on a bike going where the park is, bro, you know, but their intention was for people to do yoga, that's right, it sure didn't work out that way. , it was not so?

You mentioned that a goth opens today and we had Hal Berry. on the show a couple of gez, I don't know when it was three weeks ago or something, lovely woman, yeah, and we have a clip here you want to tell people what we're going to see, oh yeah, she came out of a coma we're doctors at an institution for criminally insane women you know she mentioned that during the filming of this you actually broke her arm yeah wow you're lucky to still be in the business for God's sake you know what I've never been I was terrified and the whole thing and you know what people you said this on the show you say well oh why didn't he apologize to you?

When someone breaks their arm, they scream in agony, what do you say? Wait, stop the press. Don't bring the doctor here. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry it was an accident, but I've been lifting too many weights and didn't really recalibrate my strength when I was on site. Find him help. uh, but you just broke his arm. No, it's okay, it's all my fault. It's better, no, no, I just thought it wasn't better yet. It's a strange thing to have on your resume. uh okay so let's take a look at the clip and tell us again what it is uh she's about to let him know that she uh killed her husband okay here we go she has to open earlier today yeah he's a guy bad or he's a good guy, right, uh, he's gothic Open today, nice to see you, thank you, congratulations and please come back within eight years.

Okay, okay, Robert Dowy Jr. Everyone, we'll be right back with Josh Stone.