Today, Robert Downey Jr. is a bona fide megastar with many amazing performances. Thanks to his career-defining performance as genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist Tony Stark, aka Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Iron Man, he is one of Hollywood’s most beloved and respected actors. I was left alone. But in the mid-2000s, Downey was still regaining credibility both with show business and with the audiences who had fallen in love with him in the 1980s and 1990s. After they saw him arrested multiple times and descend into tragedy; From 1996 to 2000, he was charged with various illegal drug possession charges and several prison terms.
Thankfully, Downey was able to piece together his life and career. Important roles in the television series “Ally McBeal” and films such as “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “Good Night and Good Luck” helped raise the actor’s profile. Despite Paramount Pictures’ skepticism, director Jon Favreau quietly managed to secure Downey for the role of Tony Stark in Iron Man, and the rest is history. But a few years earlier, Downey dropped by Seth MacFarlane’s hit animated comedy, Family Guy.
Like Downey, Family Guy was canceled by Fox in 2002 after just three seasons before being revived in the mid-2000s. At the time, TV shows were just beginning to be released on DVD, and when “Family Guy” made its way to physical media, it gained a whole new following, resulting in the show’s revival in 2005. And its popularity continues to this day. day. Downey’s guest appearance on the Family Guy episode “Fat Guy Strangler” marks his first guest appearance since the cancellation, playing Patrick, the estranged brother of Griffin family matriarch Lois (Alex Borstein). It was about Season 4, which marks the return of the series. ).
So how did Downey get involved in the revival of Family Guy? It’s all my son’s fault.
Robert Downey Jr. wanted to produce the episode
“Fat Guy Strangler” is the 17th episode of “Family Guy” season 4, in which Downey plays Patrick, who has lived in a mental institution since he was a child. Patrick has a nervous breakdown after witnessing his mother having an affair with “The Honeymooners” star Jackie Gleason, which leads him to commit unhealthy and illegal strangling to overweight men. His obsession puts Peter Griffin (MacFarlane) in danger. Even at this stage in Downey’s career, it was strange for him to take on this role, and it only came about because his son was a fan of “Family Guy” at the time.
As revealed in the DVD-released commentary for the fourth season episode, screenwriter Chris Sheridan revealed that Downey actually called the show’s production staff simply because his son loved the series. He explained that he wanted to produce and help with the episode.. Instead, they came up with a character for him to play, and the rest is “Family Guy” history. In the same commentary, MacFarlane said that Downey “did a wonderful job” and praised his “very sort of semi-crazy, and maybe just eccentric personality, for a really great role.”
Downey has yet to return to Family Guy since his career skyrocketed in the Marvel movies, but his character appeared in the season 10 episode “Killer Queen” and was replaced by Oliver Vaquell as Patrick’s character. I was in charge of the voice. Downey has been pretty busy lately, but he might one day guest star on “Family Guy” again. After all, McFarlane has said he has no intention of quitting the show until viewers stop caring about it, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon, so why not bring back the legendary Avenger just for fun? .