“My Wife Is My Vet”: Robert Downey Jr., Who Earned a Record-Breaking 16 Billion Yen for This Role—The “Support of His Wife” Behind His Comeback

After his father gave him marijuana

American actor Robert Downey Jr. (61), known for the “Iron Man” series and other films, has been cast in the two latest installments of the “Avengers” series.With a fee of $50 million (approximately 8 billion yen) per film, totaling $100 million (approximately 16 billion yen), this has drawn attention as the highest paycheck in Hollywood history.

Downey will portray Dr. Doom, the iconic comic book villain clad in a green cloak, in *Avengers: Doomsday*, set for release in December, and its sequel, *Avengers: Secret Wars*, scheduled for release next year.

According to the U.S. website “BroBible,” he is expected to earn $100 million for the two latest installments in the series, making him the highest-paid actor in the history of superhero movies.

Downey’s contract could also represent the largest “advance payment” in the history of cinema.The previous record-holder was Downey himself, who earned a total of $75 million for *Avengers: Infinity War* (2018) and *Avengers: Endgame* (2019).

When it comes to high salaries, Tom Cruise comes to mind; he, too, has earned between $75 million and $100 million for the *Mission: Impossible* series and *Top Gun: Maverick*. However, these figures include profit-sharing bonuses based on the films’ post-release earnings.Downey’s $50 million per film is reportedly his base fee.

Amid all this, speculation is swirling about the existence of Downey’s “puppet master”—the figure behind his miraculous recovery from past drug addiction.

“Downey was first arrested in 1996 for illegal drug possession and served one year in a California state prison. In 2001, he was arrested for cocaine possession and sentenced to three years of probation and one year in a rehabilitation facility.In court, he stated that he became addicted to drugs after his father, film director Robert Downey Sr., gave him marijuana when he was six years old, and that ‘For me, doing drugs is like sticking a shotgun in my mouth and putting my finger on the trigger.And I like the taste of the metal in the barrel,” he stated. His severe drug addiction was widely reported by the U.S. media at the time, and his comeback was deemed hopeless,” said a Hollywood insider.

Television footage of the Hollywood star—who had gained popularity for films such as *Charlie* (1992), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin, and *Natural Born Killers*(1994)—I remember being shocked when I saw TV footage on Japanese news programs of this popular Hollywood star appearing in court, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, handcuffed, and chained.

“Choose between the drugs and me”

It was film producer Susan Downey (52)—who became engaged to him in ’03 and married him in ’05—who saved Downey from the brink of ruin.

In an interview with the British newspaper *Daily Mail* (online edition), a source familiar with the Downies stated,

“If it weren’t for Susan, Robert wouldn’t be alive today,”

and added,

“She is truly the ‘puppet master,’ and it’s clear to everyone that if Susan hadn’t chosen him, he’d be at rock bottom—or even worse—by now,”

.

Susan told Downey, who was struggling to break free from his drug addiction,

“Choose between drugs and me,”

. Downey then threw the drugs he had in his possession into the Pacific Ocean and proposed to her on the eve of her 30th birthday.

In the film *Oppenheimer* (2023), Downie played Lewis Strouse, the chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission who clashed with physicist Oppenheimer—the leader of the U.S. atomic bomb development program. Upon winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 96th Academy Awards, Downie said in his acceptance speech,

“I’d also like to thank my veterinarian—no, my wife, Susan Downey, who’s right over there. She found me when I was like a growling animal and brought me back to life with her love. That’s why I’m here today,”

It’s still fresh in our memory how he expressed his gratitude to his wife.

Like a true “lion tamer,” his wife Susan helped her husband get back on his feet. It seems that his wife’s behind-the-scenes support played a major role in Downey Jr.’s rise to the top of Hollywood.