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Robert Downey Jr. bluntly rejected the idea that influencers are the future of stardom, calling it “absolute horses–t” and argued that real stars will still be defined by what they create.
Downey Jr. said the rise of self-made online fame isn’t necessarily a negative, but it does change what it takes to stand apart.
“Nowadays, people can create celebrity without ever doing much besides rolling a phone on themselves,” while talking about the rise of technology during an appearance on “Conversations for our Daughters.” “And I don’t look at that as a negative thing. I just look at it as more like the challenge for individuation is being upped.”
The “Iron Man” star emphasized he hopes young people choose to learn and create instead of just chasing attention online. “Hopefully the grosser part of the youth of – let’s just call it America for locality’s sake – you know, is gonna say, ‘Yeah, but that’s not my thing. I want to go do something, I’m going to make something, I want to build something, I want to educate myself and I want to have more inputs, so whatever my output is, it isn’t just a self-aggrandizing kind of influencer-type thing.”
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“When I hear people talk about, ‘Oh, the stars of the future are going to be influencers,’ I go, ‘I don’t know what world you’re living into, but I think that that is absolute horses–t.'”
Downey Jr. highlighted a part of influencer culture that can feel like hype-driven self-promotion dressed up as something more meaningful. He gave an example of how his 14-year-old son was recently sucked into the new-age attention economy.
“He kinda got caught up in this whole influencer thing, and next thing you know, it’s like, ‘Hey, if you like the way I’m playing this video game, do you wanna send me a donation?’ And really, it becomes a religion,” Downey Jr. said. “So there’s something about the influencers today are almost like the evangelical hucksters of the information age. At the same token, different because we’re playing in this new territory and so it’s a little bit of a frontier and I don’t really have a judgment on it.”
Downey Jr. said he personally tries not to get too caught up in social media and doesn’t want to be consumed by it.
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“I know like people say, ‘Robert, they just love it when you’re just kind of like seeming off the cuff, and they’re getting a glimpse into your life.’ And I go, ‘But yeah, but I’d be manufacturing that aspect for them.’
“So it’s – it’s BS.”
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Downey Jr. began his career as a child after growing up with his filmmaker father, Robert Downey Sr. He saw early success with films like “Less Than Zero” and earned an Academy Award nomination for “Chaplin.” Downey’s career was derailed for years by legal troubles and substance abuse issues. His turnaround began in the early 2000s.
Among Downey Jr.’s most defining works are “Iron Man,” “The Avengers,” “Sherlock Holmes,” and “Avengers: Endgame,” where his portrayal of Tony Stark reached an emotional conclusion.
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