Robert Downey Jr. in Blackface
Robert Downey Jr. in Blackface
#1Robert Downey Jr. in Blackface
Posted: 3/6/08 at 12:00am
"If you don't recognize that African-American actor standing between Jack Black and Ben Stiller, there's a good reason: He's white. In Tropic Thunder, an epic action comedy co-written and directed by Stiller, Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a very serious Oscar-winning actor cast in the most expensive Vietnam War film ever. Problem is, Lazarus's character, Sgt. Osiris, was originally written as black. So Lazarus decides to dye his skin and play Osiris, um, authentically. Funny? Sure. Dangerous? That's an understatement. 'If it's done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,' Downey says. 'If you don't do it right, we're going to hell.'"
First Look: 'Tropic Thunder'
"Smart! And into all those exotic mystiques -- The Kama Sutra and Chinese techniques. I hear she knows more than seventy-five. Call me tomorrow if you're still alive!"
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