Robert Downey Jr. lambasted for use of ‘blackface’ in ‘Tropic Thunder’

Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. is loved far and wide by a plethora of people around the globe but the actor has recently unleashed the wrath of social media users over a past offering.

While his 2008-released film, Tropic Thunder, was a hit at the box office and opened to great reviews, fans coming across the film in 2020 called out the actor for the ironic use of blackface in the film.

The internet was left divided over the 55-year-old actor’s avatar that also earned him an Oscar nod back then.

Written by Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen, the film was defended by some users for having an obvious satirical tone while others accused Downey Jr. of intentionally darkening his skin.

“Remember that time Robert Downey jr did full blackface and nobody said ANYTHING,” one user tweeted.

“I can't believe rdj played blackface. Him acting as a black Male is racist and I dont see how you can defend him for it. We need to cancel him immediately #cancelrdj,” added another.

On the other hand, those coming to his defense argued: “I see we’re at that magical time of the year again when someone on here clearly doesn’t understand the jokes in Tropic Thunder, so now we all have to take time out of our day to explain it to them. Don’t worry, we can all get through it together.”

The controversy has previously been defended by Downey Jr. as well as IndieWire quotes the actor as saying: “I [got] to hold up to nature the insane self-involved hypocrisy of artists and what they think they’re allowed to do on occasion, just my opinion.”

“And 90 percent of my Black friends were like, ‘Dude, that was great.’ I can’t disagree with [the other 10 percent], but I know where my heart lies…In my defense, Tropic Thunder is about how wrong [blackface] is, so I take exception,” he added.