It's also provided him with unrivaled access to the biggest toy store an overgrown kid could want.
"They always say car collectors start by buying the cars they always wish they had when they were little," he says. "So I'm the guy who was pining with all my being for an R2-D2 of my own, the guy who couldn't wait for the action figures that weren't ready in time for Christmas after Star Wars came out. ... And now I go and I'm mixing the movie on the Skywalker Ranch and talking to George Lucas and going to the archive, and seeing the real R2-D2 there."
Favreau, characteristically, gives most of the credit for Iron Man's success to his actors.
"I knew that if Robert believed in the phone book and read it, it would be great," he says. "My challenge was to make Robert sign off on what we were going to do. ... He was always my secret weapon. Always, always."
Understandably, Downey, a 43-year-old actor with a history of substance-abuse problems and a reputation for not-always-appropriate intensity, may not have been the kind of guy Marvel had in mind to play Tony Stark, the playboy industrialist who undergoes an almost-literal change of heart to become Iron Man.
"He was not the kind of guy we were talking about casting when I was brought on," Favreau acknowledges. "We were talking about someone younger, starting a franchise, someone not so public in all of the high and low points of his life. A company that's putting out their first movie as a studio, starting a franchise that could be a success that lasts close to a decade, to cast a guy in his 40s, who people have strong opinions about based on his past. ... He's not necessarily a clean slate."
Yet, says Favreau, "When he was cast, it took a great weight off the film. He came in and looked great, was at a great part of his life and had a great attitude. He was game - `I could do this, I know what this guy has been through.' It was almost destined in his mind."
As an extra benefit, Favreau adds, "he really had a tremendous amount of respect and chemistry for Gwyneth. Any time they were together, I was home free."
michael.sragow@baltsun.com chris.kaltenbach@baltsun.com
