Robert Downey Jr. recalls terrifying prison stint: ‘The most dangerous place I’ve ever been’

Robert Downey Jr. may be a beloved actor today, and has solidified his position as one of Hollywood’s most successful and enduring A-listers, but his road to fame was rocky.

The actor made his acting debut in 1970 when he was only five years old, with a role in his father Robert Downey Sr.’s film Pound. He was a busy, hard-working actor throughout the 80s and early 90s, with roles in memorable films like Weird Science, Back to School, Less Than Zero, Soapdish, and 1992’s Chaplin, which earned him an Oscar nomination for portayal of the title character. 

However, as his career accelerated, so did his drug and alcohol abuse, much like his father, who also battled similar addictions.

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In the late 1990s, Robert’s substance abuse reached an all time high, and after multiple arrests and failed rehabilitation efforts, in 1999, he was sentenced to a three-year prison term at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, of which he served 15 months, plus parole and probation time.

Now officially 20-years sober this year, Robert opened up about his tumultuous past and time in prison during an appearance on Dax Shepard’s popular Armchair Expert podcast.

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The Iron Man star went into detail of what he described as like “being sent to a distant planet,” and recalled the moment he learned of his incoming prison sentence, telling Dax: “I’m in court, I’m being over-sentenced by an angry judge, and at some point he said something in Latin. I thought he was casting a spell on me.”

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He continued to detail his first time arriving at the receiving center where inmates are informed of where they are headed to, which he described as the “most dangerous place I’ve ever been in my life,” explaining: “Nobody is designated. If they’re a level 1, 2, 3 or 4 criminal, [everyone is there].”

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“You could just feel the evil in the air,” he said, adding: “It was kind of like just being in a really bad neighborhood, and there was no opportunity there, there [were] only threats.”

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Despite the ongoing fear and uncertainty during his time in prison, Robert detailed how he became adjusted to the routine required of inmates, telling Dax: “We are programmed to, within a short amount of time, be able to adjust to things that are seemingly impossible,” and he even noted: “Day 15 was a ball. By day 15 I’m playing, literally, I’m dialed in.”

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He further explained: “As long as you have a willingness to do harm, it is unlikely that you will be targeted. It really is that thing of what is the difference between acting like you’re willing to do harm and being willing to do harm.”

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Though after his 2000 release Robert continued to struggle with substance abuse and had further brushes with authorities, by 2003, he became sober for good. 

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That same year, he met his future wife, film producer, Susan Downey (née Levin), who at the time was the executive vice-president of the production company behind the 2003 thriller Gothika. The couple got married in New York in August of 2005, and have since welcomed son Exton Elias, 11, and daughter Avri Roel, eight. Robert also shares son Indio Falconer, 29, with ex-wife Deborah Falconer.

In 2015, former California governor Jerry Brown gave him a full and unconditional pardon for his multiple convictions.