Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to actor and now-Oscar winner Robert Downey, Jr!

Today’s scene that I love comes from 1987’s Less Than Zero.  Long before he played Iron Man, Downey played Julian, a young, self-destructive drug addict in Los Angeles.  In this scene, Julian talks to his father, played by the great character actor, Nicholas Pryor.

Downey has said that playing Julian was not a huge stretch for him as he was dealing with his own growing drug addiction while making Less Than Zero.  (Considering how heavy-handed the film was in its anti-drug message, it’s interesting that both Downey and Andrew McCarthy have talked about first experimenting with cocaine while making the film.)  It’s been quite a turn-around for Downey, who went from being a poster boy for self-destruction to a beloved pop cultural icon.  Just last month, Downey won an Oscar for his performance in Oppenheimer.  He deserved every minute of the applause he received.