Los Angeles, Dec 8 (IANS): Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. had a close relationship with his father, Robert Downey Sr. However he was unfortunately a bad influence on his son from his childhood.
In a new documentary titled 'Sr.', the Golden Globe-winning actor puts the spotlight on his filmmaker father and his father's role in his dismal upbringing, reports aceshowbiz.com.
According to Daily Mail, Downey Jr. says: "I think we would be remiss not to discuss its effect on me," as he refers to his father's unorthodox approach to childcare. Embarrassed, his father mumbles back, "Boy, I would sure love to miss that discussion."
The film includes a clip from an old interview, thought to have taken place in the 1990s, in which Downey Sr. realized he made "a terrible, stupid mistake" by introducing his son to drugs at age six.
The filmmaker, who himself was a drug addict, admits in the chat, "A lot of us thought it would be hypocritical to not have our kids participate in marijuana and stuff like that. It was an idiot move on our part to share that with our children. I'm just happy he's here."
When asked if he was ever worried his son, who sat next to him, might not survive, he replies, "Many times."
When he wasn't handing his son narcotics, Downey Sr. was taking little Robert off to watch X-rated films and even casting him, from the age of five, in his own disturbing and far from child-friendly movies. Downey Jr. remembers "growing up in a family where everyone was doing drugs."
The 'Iron Man' star says in a 1988 interview that doing drugs became something he and his dad bonded over. He said at the time, "When my dad and I would do drugs together, it was like him trying to express his love for me in the only way he knew."
In the new documentary, which he produces with his wife Susan, Downey Jr. compares his addiction to cocaine and heroin to "like (having) a shotgun in my mouth, and I've got my finger on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gun metal."
Downey Sr. died in July 2021 aged 85 after a battle with Parkinson's disease.