Robert Downey Jr. got Oppenheimer on the Oscar-night board, taking home the award for Actor in a Supporting Role.
“I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy – in that order,” he deadpanned in the opening stretch of another charismatic acceptance speech.
Oppenheimer came into the ceremony as a favorite to capture an armful of statuettes, including in some of the top categories. The film received 13 nominations and has continued its momentum throughout awards season, following its long run to more than $950 million in global box office. In the first hour of the show, it was Poor Things ringing up three wins, taking the early lead.
Downey, though, had long ago emerged as a heavy favorite, cementing his chances with a widely hailed speech at January’s Golden Globe Awards. He earned some of the best reviews of his career for his performance as Lewis Strauss, the nemesis of Murphy’s titular character.
“Here’s my little secret: I needed this job more than it needed me,” Downey said. Director Christopher Nolan “knew it. [Producer Emma Thomas] made sure that she surrounded me with one of the great casts and crews of all time, Emily [Blunt], Cillian [Murphy], Matt Damon. It was fantastic and I stand here before you a better man because of it.”
“What we do is important and the stuff that we decide to make is important,” Downey went on before making a left turn and cracking, “So, back to my publicist …”
Downey acknowledged a number of members of his team, closing with a shoutout to Hansen, Jacobsen partner, Tom Hansen, who has been his entertainment lawyer for 40 years. Downey joked, alluding to his struggles with substance abuse and a reputation (since overcome) for erratic behavior that Hansen spent half of those years “trying to get me insured and bailing me out of the hoosegow,” a slang term for jail. “Thanks, bro!”
