Robert Downey Jr. is a Black Man

Thu, 06 March 2008 at 8:29 pm

Robert Downey Jr. plays a black man in the new movie Tropic Thunder.

Downey, 42, plays overly committed actor Kirk Lazarus, a white man cast to play a black soldier in a satire of the performing profession.

“If it’s done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,” Downey told Entertainment Weekly. “If you don’t do it right, we’re going to hell.”

Tropic Thunder hits theaters on August 15th.

DO YOU THINK this movie will be PRETTY FUNNY or WILDLY OFFENSIVE?

Credit: RopeOfSilicon
Posted to: Robert Downey Jr
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110 Comments

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# 31

gia @ 03/06/2008 at 10:44 pm

i saw a quick shot of this while filipping through tv tonight. i think i stopped on access hollywood or one of those kinds of shows and i thought, oh, don cheadle. and then they played a guess who? type game and revealed it to be robert downey jr.

haha, totally shocked. and after i actually got more than a one second glimpse i realized it was pretty foolish to think that was don cheadle. haha.

# 32

Ambryan @ 03/06/2008 at 10:54 pm

I am black and don’t find this offensive at all so far. I don’t think people realize that the reason they didn’t have a back man play Robert’s character is because its SUPPOSED to be a white man playing him because its a SATIRE of the ACTING PROFESSION. So far I’m intrigued and the a makeup is amazing by far which makes me think they’ll do this movie right. I’ll wait till the movie really comes out to give it a real review.

Now if you want to attack a movie…attack ‘Soul Man’ with C. Thomas Howell…

# 33

nella @ 03/06/2008 at 11:01 pm

whoa, at first glance i thought that was DON CHEADLE! HAHA

# 34

Nando @ 03/06/2008 at 11:35 pm

That’s awesome!!

# 35

HUH @ 03/06/2008 at 11:36 pm

Trying to be male Angelina Jolie.. pulling blackface stunt. Creep!

# 36

SF @ 03/06/2008 at 11:47 pm

Why should this be offensive? I am sure a consummate actor like Daniel Day Lewis might do this if he were to be cast as a black guy. I mean it is supposed to be satarical or sarcastic humour. I don’t see anyone saying it is offensive or even questioning it when black actors play chinese guy or something like that. It is not mocking a race, it is mocking actors. He could have been a white guy pretending to be a red indian or whatever. I already think the storyline seems really funny and the make up is amazing. I really didn’t recognise him.

# 37

black woman @ 03/06/2008 at 11:56 pm

You know, i can’t knock it! He really does look like a black man! But, it’s no different than when the Wayne brothers played white women! I think it’s cool because it’s not really “black face”.

# 38

Shar @ 03/07/2008 at 12:23 am

As a black person, I am absolutely not offended, no one made a stink when movies with blacks playing white characters like, White Chicks, Coming To America,( Eddie Murphy played a jewish man in a barbershop), etc. etc.

# 39

Ace tomato @ 03/07/2008 at 12:50 am

Time marches on, people evolve. If we can’t have fun with it, what is the POINT of improving racial relations? So we can all sit around boring each other with how enlightened and tolerant we are? Do we really need to tip toe around every ethnic difference or can we all have a good time and poke fun at each other and ourselves?

Robert D is one of our best actors ever. This looks funny and I’ll see just about any movie he makes - super talent!

# 40

lynn @ 03/07/2008 at 1:14 am

Robert Downey Jr. One of our best and I have no problem with him playin a black man. Great actors play any role.

# 41

v @ 03/07/2008 at 1:40 am

Robert Downey Jr is an amazing actor. He’ll do this right.

I don’t see how this is offensive. If a black man played a white man I wouldn’t care (I don’t think anyone else would either).

# 42

v @ 03/07/2008 at 1:44 am

@ #28

BECAUSE IT’S _ACTING_.
Men can play women and women can play men, black men can play white women but a white man can’t play a black man? C’mon!

# 43

legs @ 03/07/2008 at 1:57 am

weird

# 44

tiana @ 03/07/2008 at 2:24 am

i’m black too, and if they were satirizing black people yes it would be offensive. but they’re not. it’s FUNNY because they’re NOT legitimizing negative racial stereotypes, anyone with a brain in his/her head can see how painfully clear that is. HE’S NOT PLAYING A BLACK PERSON, IDIOTS (cough, ali). IT’S SATIRIZING THE FICTIONAL, RIDICULOUS SITUATION OF A WHITE ACTOR NAMED KIRK WHO PLAYS A BLACK PERSON IN A MODERN DAY MOVIE. by thinking it’s outrageous, you’ve already agreed with the premise of the film. if you got offended along the way, you’re just too slow to get the irony.

oh and throwing out the history of truly offensive minstrel shows and trying to maintain (with NO support as to content or characterizations) that this is the same thing makes you not only ignorant (and therefore perpetuating a negative stereotype yourself, thanks A LOT) but an opportunistic embarrassment & a hindrance to the rest of the race.

# 45

logan @ 03/07/2008 at 2:34 am

As a black man I will give my voice here. That is the funniest single image I have seen in a long time. He looks like Ben Vereen! It’s kind of amazing. I love Robert Downey Jr, and I love when blackface is made fun of, as it rightly should. Tropic Thunder just made my list. So far, there’s nothing about this film I don’t like.

Honorable mention goes to Jack Black, who also looks damn funny.

# 46

Nicole m @ 03/07/2008 at 3:28 am

That is very convincing, I would not have guessed it was him. And why is it offensive? So they made a white person to play a black man….big woop.

Will this “pulling out the race card” ever friggin stop! Enough is enough now! Of course there are a lot of great African-American actors. Letting Downey Jr play a black man is not insinuating that they they are not great actors.

# 47

remember da truth @ 03/07/2008 at 4:18 am

Are people on the internet really this stupid?

All you who keep saying why not get a black guy to play a black guy, go back and READ the words next to the picture!! it’s not a movie about a black guy, it’s a movie about a white actor playing a black guy.

Damn. Either you are all illiterate, or just STUPID. Shouldn’t be allowed to own a computer, go out in public, drive, or vote. And I sure hope you’re practicing birth control — wish your parents had!

# 48

remember da truth @ 03/07/2008 at 4:31 am

tiana #44
Couldn’t agree more.
People getting offended for the sake of black people are perpetuating what they are offended about — ignorance, illiteracy, knee-jerk indignation based on nothing that KEEPS races separate and treated like second-class citizens.

# 49

OMG @ 03/07/2008 at 4:42 am

WHAT IS THIS STATING!

THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF ETHNIC ACTORS/ACTRESSES AS IT IS….FURTHERMORE THERE ARE A FEW AMAZING BLACK MALE ACTORS WHO POSSIBLY COULD HAVE PALYED THIS ROLE….

EQUAL OPPERTUNITIES YOU HOLLYWOOD FCUKERS!!!!!!

IT IS JUST SO FCUKING ANNOYING.

# 50

OMG @ 03/07/2008 at 4:42 am

WHAT IS THIS STATING!

THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF ETHNIC ACTORS/ACTRESSES AS IT IS….FURTHERMORE THERE ARE A FEW AMAZING BLACK MALE ACTORS WHO POSSIBLY COULD HAVE PALYED THIS ROLE….

EQUAL OPPERTUNITIES YOU HOLLYWOOD FCUKERS!!!!!!

IT IS JUST SO FCUKING ANNOYING.

# 51

OMG @ 03/07/2008 at 4:50 am

APOLOGIZE FOR THE DOUBLES….

*47

I AGREE WITH YOU ALTHOUGH THERE ARE CERTAIN RAMIFICATIONS WHEN THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN AS YOU CAN SEE…..

HOWEVER TRY SEE IT FROM A DIFFERENT VIEW….EVEN THOUGH THIS IS THE STORY LINE IS THIS THE LAST TIME THIS WILL HAPPEN AND TO WHAT I SAID PREVIOUSLY WILL THINGS IMPROVE…?? POLITICS.

# 52

Cindy @ 03/07/2008 at 8:00 am

Wow! Unbelievable! Would not have known it was him.

# 53

black @ 03/07/2008 at 8:20 am

Who cares if black peole find it offensive or not?

Aren´t they offended by everything?

I sure as hell wouldn´t care if a black guy or girl would play a whitey.

(White Chicks was really funny)

# 54

loo @ 03/07/2008 at 8:40 am

was white chicks offensive???????

# 55

ShaiBELLA @ 03/07/2008 at 8:49 am

I don’t think it’s offensive at all, and i agree, when the wayans brothers did the white chicks no one was offended, so why would they find this offensive? maybe Robert Downey Jr. fits to play that part in the movie. so what if there are other black actors,i dont find it offensive in any way that they chose Robert to play that part.

And that doesn’t look like him at all. it’s a total different face. haha, amazing..

# 56

Sinna @ 03/07/2008 at 8:51 am

That’s the best make-up job I’ve seen to-date. Pretty convincing. I don’t find it offensive and I’m black, so please don’t start making this an issue when I theres none

# 57

Original Shar @ 03/07/2008 at 9:43 am

Well at least he does look like a black man. C. Thomas Howell in Soul Man is a whole other issue. That was the most offensive movie I’d seen in a long time as far as black characters are portrayed in film. Howell didn’t even look like a black man. He looked like a white man with brown shoe polish on his face an a jheri curl wig. Compared to that movie this one looks great.

# 58

what what @ 03/07/2008 at 9:46 am

I have no idea if the content of the role will be offensive or not. It’s pretty much like Robert said… if the stars align, this could be an Oscar winner, if not… it could suck, who knows? What IS clear, is that make-up job is nothing short of phenomenal! I am so impressed by the artists attention to detail. It makes Downey’s job much harder, will his performance be as authentic as his appearance? If not, it will either be a disaster, funny as hell, or my personal favorite… BOTH!

# 59

astrid @ 03/07/2008 at 10:06 am

Offensive and pathetic.

# 60

Ha! @ 03/07/2008 at 10:18 am

The people who are offended are offended because they DID NOT READ WHAT THE STORY BEHIND THE MOVIE IS. It’s SUPPOSED to be a white guy (he’s white in the movie) playing a black man. That’s the point. It’s not a diss saying there aren’t any talented black actors because that’s obviously untrue. Read before you post.

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