Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr has postponed plans to write his memoirs and returned his advance to book publisher HarperCollins.

His autobiography was originally billed as “a candid look at the highs and lows of his life and career”.

A spokeswoman for the actor declined to comment on his reasons for cancelling the book, which was due to come out this year.

The 43-year-old, who has a history of drug abuse, signed the deal in 2006.

The actor is set to play the lead role in director Guy Ritchie’s forthcoming film version of Sherlock Holmes.

Personal issues

It follows his stint as Tony Stark, a billionaire playboy who builds himself a superhero suit, in summer blockbuster Iron Man.

The actor signed on for three Iron Man films, and is due to reprise the role on the big screen in 2010.

Downey Jr has previously struggled with a series of personal problems, notably his widely-reported drug use, which led to prison and a rehabilitation programme.

The New York-born actor won critical acclaim for his role in Chaplin, which received an Oscar nomination in 1993.

He regularly appeared in TV drama Ally McBeal and has starred in animated thriller A Scanner Darkly and comedy musical The Singing Detective.

Downey Jr is the son of writer-director Robert Downey who gave him his first role - playing a puppy in 1970’s surrealist Pound.

Robert Downey Jr. is earning praise for his portrayal of a white actor who plays an African-American character in the movie within a movie in “Tropic Thunder.”

“To be honest, he played a black dude better than anybody I’ve seen,” Downey’s African-American “Tropic Thunder” co-star Brandon T. Jackson told People.com. “When I first read the script, I was like: What? Black face? But when I saw (Downey act) he, like, became a black man.”

Directed by Ben Stiller and co-starring Jack Black, the big-screen comedy features Downey as an Oscar-winning actor who takes on a role in the most expensive Vietnam war movie in cinematic history, then dyes his skin when he hears his character was originally written as an African-American.

“It was just good acting,” Jackson told People.com. “It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He’s a Method actor.”

Downey also starred in the recent blockbuster “Iron Man.”

American actor Robert Downey Jr was gifted a Bentley worth 200,000 dollars by bosses for the success of the movie ‘Iron Man’ in which he played the lead role.

The movie, which was based on the comic book superhero Iron Man , became the box office hit of the year and earned more than 500 million dollars worldwide.

Downey Jr was so impressive in his role that the producers gave him the car as a thank you gift, Star magazine reported.
“Robert was shocked when they gave it to him. But he was so grateful and is so happy,” Contactmusic quoted a source as saying.

FRESH from the success of Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. is set to star as Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie’s new movie about the fictional British detective,

The star is reportedly in final talks with bosses at Warner Bros. to take on the role of the fictional British detective in a film adapted from Lionel Wigram’s comic book based on the novels and short stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

A source said: “After the success of Iron Man, Robert wanted to choose a movie which would keep him in the public eye, and thinks Guy Ritchie’s new Sherlock Holmes film is the perfect vehicle for him. He is in final negotiations now, but he basically just needs to sign on the dotted line and then he’s done.”

Downey Jr was first approached to take the role when he visited his wife Susan, who works for film producer Joel Silver, and was shown a preliminary script for Ritchie’s movie.

Ritchie’s unique take on the legendary detective - who solves crimes using logical reasoning with the help of his sidekick Dr. Watson - will see a more adventurous side to the character.

However, Downey Jr will have to compete with Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell, who have signed up to star in a Columbia comedy about the British sleuth.

With stints in jail, spells in rehab and an arrest for driving down Sunset Boulevard in the buff, it’s not so long ago that Robert Downey Jr’s career wasn’t looking too good. But in a remarkable comeback, the ex-drug addict is now clean, happily married, the proud owner of a well-received album, and the most sought-after star in the biz. Not content to be seeing off rivals in superhero blockbuster ‘Iron Man’, he also pops up in indie outing Charlie Bartlett, which opens this week. As we venture further into what critics are calling the ‘summer of Robert Downey Jr’, we find out more about Hollywood’s prodigal son.

1. Robert’s dad Robert Downey Sr. was an actor, writer, cinematographer and independent filmmaker and the family moved frequently because of his work. Robert spent time in New York, California, Woodstock, Connecticut, Paris and London as a child.

2. Five-year-old Robert made his big screen debut as a puppy in his father’s 1970 movie Pound. Aww!

3. Robert’s dad introduced him to drugs by offering him a joint at a party at the age of eight. Downey Sr. said later, “We thought it would be hypocritical to not have our kids participate in marijuana and stuff like that.” Hmm, maybe in retrospect it wasn’t such a good idea.

4. Robert went through a Billy Elliot phase and studied classical ballet while living in London at the age of ten.

5. One of Robert’s best pals as a child was Richard Hall, otherwise known as dance star Moby. Their parents used to smoke pot together but the pair hasn’t seen each other for years. Read the rest of this entry »

I have added screencaps of Robert’s scene in Lucky You. See them here. I also added a video of his scene, which you can download here.

The Soloist
Role: Steve Lopez
Status: filming
Release: 2008

Tropic Thunder
Role: Kirk Lazarus
Status: Post-Prod.
Release: 2008