AMERICA’S DARLING –
March 18, 2024 – “I think if you develop a moral psychology, things are a lot easier,” Downey, 58, “And I think it’s hard to explain away certain behaviors when there are ways to heal. So I both have a lot of empathy for, and I also am a little bit skeptical about anyone who doesn’t lean into what they can do to improve the state of their compass.” Standing next to him, Downey’s wife Susan adds: “I feel like anyone’s journey, no matter how fraught or positive, whatever it is, it is your journey. There’s nothing we would do differently.”
Away from the spotlight, those close to Downey say he has kept a quiet focus on helping others.
“His ways are heartwarming,” says fellow Avengers star Jeremy Renner, who was in the ICU last January following his horrific snowplow accident.
He notes that Downey checked in on him constantly. “We ended up having really great chats on FaceTime, like we were dating or something,” recalls Renner.
Most of the Iron Man star’s good deeds are kept quiet. “He really does believe in giving back,” Susan tells PEOPLE. “And he does it through his actions.”
