‘I’ve always appreciated the people who are backstage’: Robert Downey Jr. breaks down his ‘Oppenheimer’ antagonist

We’re 10 days away from Oppenheimer releasing in the States. Directed by The Dark Knight‘s Christopher Nolan and based on the 2005 novel American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer follows J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who helped develop the very first nuclear weaponry. Cillian Murphy portrays Oppenheimer himself, joined by Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr. – who stars as Lewis Strauss.

He’s graduated from the MCU’s Iron Man to one of the leading figures in the development of nuclear weapons, but Downey Jr. was one of Hollywood’s superstars long before that. Even prior to 2008’s debut as Tony Stark, he was making a name for himself in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Gothika, Tropic Thunder, and Sherlock Holmes. Downey Jr. might be a stranger to playing the villain, however, as he’s grown accustomed to acting the hero, sometimes literally.

Strauss has been regarded as a villain in American history as he was the driving force in the controversial hearings in 1954 that led to Oppenheimer’s security clearance being revoked, which is essentially the underlying plot of the live-action adaptation.

In Universal Pictures’ cast featurette for Oppenheimer’s main cast, Downey Jr. discusses Strauss in further detail, shedding some light on his motivations and describing him as more of a “public servant” than an inherently malicious person.

“I was aware who Lewis Strauss was. I came to have a pretty even-handed understanding of him. He was a righteous guy. I think he was a great public servant, but he’s always behind the scenes. I’ve always appreciated the people who are backstage.”

So far, Oppenheimer has been marketed like crazy, so we’re expecting big things from Downey Jr. and the crew. Witness Oppenheimer’s story on the big screen when the movie debuts in theaters on July 21, 2023.