When news of the Oscar push for Avengers: Endgame broke, many fans were shocked to see Robert Downey Jr.'s name missing from the Best Actor conversation, as many believe his portrayal of Iron Man was the highlight of a 10-year cinematic journey.
However, on The Howard Stern Show, Downey Jr. revealed that he specifically asked not to be a part of the awards consideration.
When Stern brought up the Oscars campaign, he cited factors of the portrayal like Downey Jr.'s believability in the role. The 54-year-old actor responded by saying, "I'm so glad you brought this up because there was some talk about and I said let's not and because I'm much more like you than you might really want to believe."
"I listen to the show and I agree with most all of your opinions, varied though they may be," he continued. "Occasionally, you'll go on some tributary trail of thought I'll go like 'oh that's not how I see it, but I love that you see it that way.'"
A Change.org petition has recently surfaced, stating that Downey Jr. deserves a nomination for his Iron Man portrayal. The petition reads: "We, the undersigned, were so moved by Mr. Robert Downey Jr.'s performance as Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame that we believe he is unquestionably deserving of the Academy's Award for Best Actor. The creative choices he made and immense depth of emotional energy he infused in Tony Stark forged an unforgettable experience for the viewer." Currently, the petition has over 5,000 signatures.
Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Danai Gurira as Okoye and Bradley Cooper as Rocket, with Gwyneth Paltrow Pepper Potts, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Benedict Wong as Wong, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and Josh Brolin as Thanos. The film is available on Digital HD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD.
(via ComicBook.com)