Robert Downey Jr. Thanks Wife Susan, Rob Lowe, Cillian Murphy as He Accepts 2024 Santa Barbara Film Festival Honor

Robert Downey Jr. he accepted another award on his way to the Oscars.

At the 2024 Santa Barbara Film Festival Oppenheimer star, 58, was awarded the Maltin Modern Master award at Friday’s ceremony, which was celebrated on a night with speeches from Rob Lowe and, Oppenheimer lead actor, Cillian Murphy.

According to the festival, the award is named after film historian Leonard Maltin and was first created in 1995 “to honor an individual who has enriched our culture with achievements in the film industry.”

Taking the stage, Downey Jr. he thanked the audience as well as Matlin himself, paying tribute to his “significance in our culture and what you’ve done from scholar to writer to critic to host,” adding “your approval means the world to me.”

The actor then described Lowe – who gave a heartfelt speech in tribute to the actor – as “someone who showed me so much”.

He went on to pay tribute to his acting approach to life: “Lately we’ve been able to reconnect and I go on a podcast and we kind of talk about our background, but he was the first of my generation to say, ‘Society, there’s this thing which is called stop and grow up and go about your business and be a good dad and be a good husband and enjoy the privilege of being able to work in this industry’, which is why he’s still relevant and why he still looks 27.”

Then Downey Jr. turned his attention to Murphy, who earlier in the night described himself as “Robert Downey Jr.’s straight man, loyal wingman.”

“Cillian’s not a straight man to anyone. I think he’s just starting to realize by the reactions he gets when he goes places to fight the—— forces of nature,” Iron man the actor said before thanking his agents and revealing that they “got matching PJs. So this whole Santa Barbara International Film Festival has turned into this like this is party time for us.”

Cillian Murphy, honorary Robert Downey Jr. and Rob Lowe pose with the Maltin Modern Master Award during the 39th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at The Arlington Theater on February 9, 2024 in Santa Barbara, California.

Rebecca Sapp/Getty

However, Downey Jr. he reserved the end of his speech for a special message to his wife.

“And as always, I’ll never finish a thank-you note, even though she’s probably just about to put the kids to bed soon, without thanking my favorite co-worker, Susan Downey,” he concluded.

Maltin himself joined Iron man star on stage for a conversation covering the actor’s five-decade career, which includes 1992 Academy Award nominations. Chaplinin 2008 A tropical thunderstorm and at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony on March 10, Oppenheimer.

See the stars of ‘Oppenheimer’ compared to the historical figures they play

J. Robert Oppenheimer’s biopic on the creation of the atomic bomb, directed and adapted by Christopher Nolan, became the third highest-grossing Hollywood title of 2023 and the highest-grossing biopic of all time. Among his many accolades are 13 Academy Award nominations (more than any other nominee), including Best Picture.

IN Oppenheimer Downey Jr. plays the real-life Lewis Strauss, the founding commissioner of the Atomic Energy Commission. The film stars Cillian Murphy in the title role, alongside Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Gary Oldman, Josh Hartnett, Florence Pugh and Rami Malek.

The extensive conversation between Matlin and Downey Jr. covered the actor’s first film role Pound at age 5, did he consider an alternative career — to which the actor revealed that he “worked in a sandwich shop. I worked in a shoe store, but I had sticky toes and I got fired after two weeks,” and worked other jobs, including the bus boy job, but due to his lack of skill in those roles, he joked that he “had to resort to the theatre”.

Rob Lowe, honorary Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy attend the Maltin Modern Master Awards during the 39th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at The Arlington Theater on February 9, 2024 in Santa Barbara, California.

Rebecca Sapp/Getty

The pair discussed the actor’s recent documentary Sr. about his late father, Robert Downey Jr., as well as an appearance by Downey Jr. son in the film, before Lowe gave a speech about his school days with Downey Jr. and their long friendship, describing Oppenheimer’s star as “a once-in-a-generation charm, talent, intelligence, empathy and courageous performer.”

As we discuss movies including iron man, A tropical thunderstorm, Chaplin, Less than zero and A true believer with Matlin, Downey Jr. he even revealed the time when the late actor Ryan O’Neal, his co-star in the 1987 film Chances arehe gave him a rather severe warning when he was late for his reading.

“I even remember the first day of rehearsals, because chances are I met some friends. We were in Washington, DC. I met some friends, went out to a hotel, we ordered champagne. One thing led to another, and then the reading was at 11:00 and it was about 2:45 and I was just sleeping and the door came off the hinges and it was Ryan O’Neal. And it was like, ‘If I’m here talking to you, you’re —— awake. Oh my god, you’re—— awake.’ And I said, ‘Wow. People look pretty tense.’ “It’s not like I knew I was late, but it was a warning sign. But I remember I loved making the movie, it seemed really cute,” he told Matlinu.

(Left to right:) Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. in “Oppenheimer”.

Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures

As well as talking about working with Oppenheimer director, Nolan, meeting his wife and whether his children watch his movies (“they’ll see them in passing,” the actor said), Downey Jr. the conversation with Matlin was also interrupted by another heartfelt speech, this time from Murphy, who called Downey Jr. described as “one of the kindest, funniest and most generous actors I’ve ever worked with.”

In a press release from the Santa Barbara Film Festival, Maltin said, “Robert Downey Jr. he put on one of the most spectacular second acts in show business history… and we in the audience are the beneficiaries. He commands the screen without any apparent effort, which is perhaps the greatest feat of all.”

Nolan added, “It’s exciting to see audiences respond not only to Robert Downey Jr.’s incredible charisma, but to a performance that, devoid of any movie star trappings, once again shows that he is one of the greatest actors.”

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Robert Downey Jr. in 2023.

Lia Toby/Getty

At the 39th iteration of the Santa Barbara Film Festival, which takes place from February 7 to 17, honors will also be given to Danielle Brooks for PurpleColman Domingo for Rustin and PurpleAmerica Ferrera for BarbieLily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower MoonGreta Lee for Past livesCharles Melton for May DecemberDa’Vine Joy Randolph for The Holdovers and Andrew Scott for All of us strangersand all received Virtuosos awards on February 10.

Barbie star Ryan Gosling and Maestro writer-director-star Bradley Cooper have already accepted awards from the festival, which is the main springboard of the awards season. Mark Ruffalo, Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright and Annette Bening will also receive their accolades.

Last year’s winner of the Maltin Award was Jamie Lee Curtis, who then won the Oscar for Everything everywhere and at once. Past winners also include Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Will Smith, Ben Affleck, Johnny Depp, Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman and Nolan.

Downey Jr.’s list of upcoming projects includes an HBO mini-series Sympathizer.

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Source: HIS Education