LAUGHTER IS CARBONATED GOD –
May 9, 2023 – Some actors are chameleons. Some have a style. Downey Jr. epitomizes both lines of thought. He’s a chameleon operating within a recognizable batch of characteristics. Even if he were covered in layers of hypothetical prosthetics, it would be impossible not to recognize his novel way of reading lines. He wields his talents according to his own sense of rhythm, not unlike a musician (which is an appropriate comparison, given his experience as a singer). What’s so recognizable about his vocal patterns is how that droll, almost laconic baseline is punctuated with the snappy, the sharp, and the unexpected.
There’s a noticeable flow to his pacing and always a sense he’s using words as off-kilter but very deliberate punctuation. He radiates impulsive flippancy but also wields shockingly acute honesty as deftly as an irreverent one-liner. And when he combines those modulated sensibilities with subtle facial twitches and yearning brown eyes, the result is a winsome, refreshing, and undeniable magnetism. Downey Jr. is captivating precisely because he routinely ventures to different places than his fellow actors. He puts his unmistakable stamp on every role while working from the inside out to ensure that the character is a person in his own right rather than a tired caricature.
