Robert Downey Jr. To Play A Black Man In ‘Tropic Thunder’
By Behind The Scenes TV on Mar 7, 2008 in Actors, Casting, Summer 2008
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.”
(Source: EW)
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Mike Belgrove | Mar 7, 2008 | Reply
One of the other writers on Highbrid Nation wrote about Robert Downy playing a black man. He worries that Al Sharpton might have something to say about it, lol. Honestly as a black person I think it’s kinda cool that movie make-up has gotten to the point where you can make someone look like another race and if the pics I’ve seen of Robert Downy in costume are accurate than they did a really good job! Plus Robert is a very capable actor so I’m sure he wont come across as stereo typical or offensive. I could be wrong though.
Alan | Mar 8, 2008 | Reply
I think with Ben Stiller writing and Downey’s improv abilities, this character would be whack. Downey will do something interesting with this potrayal under all that make-up. Not only that, he has Stiller and Jack Black to play off.