[METAL CLANGING]
KEVIN FEIGE: The journey of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe
started with the journey of Tony Stark.
MAN: Much better than the big old... ROBERT DOWNEY JR.: Oh, yeah.
- ...clunky, clunky monkey. - And that sound is great.
I think it looks a little large, too,
but I think we might be able to get away with it all.
FEIGE: Going back to Favreau and Robert Downey Jr.
and the founding moments of Marvel Studios,
we said, "We want the hero to be as interesting out of costume
"as they are in costume."
SARAH HALLEY FINN: I had just been hired to cast the first Iron Man.
Jon Favreau was on board at that time
and I remember asking him
in a meeting with everyone,
"Tell me all the qualities
"that you think are most important."
Fast, quick-witted and funny and dynamic
and a bit troubled and confident
and brilliant and all of these things.
And we really kept coming back to Downey.
DOWNEY JR.: Stan Lee said he kind of created him on a dare.
Could you make a billionaire weapons manufacturer,
philandering philanthropist, you know,
who largely lives an ugly and irresponsible immoral psychology?
To peace!
If you look at Downey in his early work, you know,
it's amazing. I mean, look at Chaplin.
You look at Less Than Zero.
I mean, they're tough characters to watch.
Robert Downey Jr. at that point in his career
wasn't necessarily a family-friendly name.
Today it's ridiculous, but at the time,
it was, "Whoa! Risky casting Robert Downey Jr."
The truth was we got to a point
that we realized if we didn't cast him,
that would have been the biggest risk.
JON FAVREAU: Robert had a whole career of great work behind him,
and he was at a point in his life and his career
where he was ready to break out
and do something really big and exciting.
FINN: Jon was in love with the idea of Downey playing the part,
and we all felt so sure about him on a creative level.
Because he wasn't instantly a slam dunk approval,
I suggested we have screen tests.
I remember walking in with Robert Downey Jr. the day of the tests.
He was laughing and in great spirits and completely at ease,
and he got in front of the camera and started saying the lines.
I assure you the day weapons are no longer needed to keep the peace,
I'll happily transition to manufacturing bricks and beams
for baby hospitals, making hemp pants and the like,
but until that time, can I get you a drink?
I don't want to call it an out-of-body experience,
but it was one of those rushes
that I'm sure, like, somebody would feel if they're about to play
a big sporting arena,
playing for the ring or something like that.
It was just like, "Am I gonna pass out or am I gonna nail this?"
On that day that Robert screen tested,
it was clear that there was no one else who can play that part.
It was magic. It was exactly the feeling as a casting director,
with Kevin, with Jon, with everyone
that we all wanted to have that feeling, like,
"We have it. This is it. This is Iron Man."
Iron Man 1 was incredibly special.
We sort of improv-ed the whole thing.
We laughed. We cried.
We got very, very close on that movie.
FAVREAU: We were the first Marvel movie as a studio.
You know, there was no real model for it yet.
Nobody expected too much of it.
He's Iron Man.
We wanted to make a good quality film,
a good story, something that was smart enough, funny enough.
I still remember Tony landing in the high desert
in the eastern Sierras when he escapes the cave,
and I was buried up to my neck in sand and the storm was coming in
and we only had a couple minutes to get this take.
And it was like God's grace just came in
and gave us the take that was in the movie.
[SIGHS]
Not bad.
I loved the first movie so much.
I was just so carried away by the story.
It was funny. It was clever. It was witty.
Let's face it, this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing.
MARK RUFFALO: By casting Robert Downey Jr.,
they were intent on breaking
the tradition and mold of these types of movies.
BRIE LARSON: It was an unexpected choice at the time.
And so it made for this really dynamic,
really surprising performance.
[YELLS] [GASPING]
Was that so hard?
He's so bright and so fast and it takes you so long
to catch up with him and it's perfect for that character.
Good luck keeping up.
I think most of us have been pretty vocal about what he started,
and without him, none of us would be in this position.
CHRIS EVANS: He really is the patriarch.
I think he really understood
the weight of the responsibility with these movies.
Iron Man 1 changed the genre.
And I think the casting of Robert Downey signaled to the world
that we are serious about our characters
and we really respect them in a way
that we're gonna hire the best actors possible.
DOWNEY JR.: It really was just this perfect storm.
I had hypnotized myself into such a state of confidence
that I was certain...
[CHUCKLING] everything we were doing worked,
and, uh, the rest is history.
I am Iron Man.
[ALL CLAMORING] [INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
[METAL CLANGS]
[WHOOSHING]