Robert Downey Jr. praises Oppenheimer co-star Cillian Murphy: “no one dislikes this guy”

They may have been rivals in Oppenheimer, but Robert Downey Jr. has nothing but compliments for his co-star, Cillian Murphy. The former face of Marvel Studios took the stage at the Palm Springs Convention Center when he presented the Desert Palm Achievement Award to the star of the Christopher Nolan film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Downey Jr. started his speech off with his signature fast talk that defined the Tony Stark character. “I feel kind of like I blew it because I didn’t write anything and I’m not going to make an excuse, I’m just going to offer an explanation. I was distracted [by the] holidays, I had a head cold and then there was two earthquakes. that activated my crippling seismology anxiety,” Downey said, in reference to the recent events in Japan. He added that he had jotted down some “broad stroke stuff” and decided he was “just going to fucking wing it.”

Downey Jr. would then get sincere about his co-star, “He is an anomaly. He’s been an actor’s actor for over 20 years and nobody dislikes this guy. That’s not easy. His character work and his onscreen intensity never fail. Captain captivating, it’s fucking titillating.” Downey Jr. would refer to Christopher Nolan as “a long game guy” and went on to describe the response that the industry had when Murphy secured the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer. “It’s that kind of generational casting decision that gives you chills, just the potential of it.… When I heard the announcement, I said, ‘This is going to be event cinema.’ And then this guy had to prove it.”

Downey says that he proved it, “I’ve been in this game for 40-something years and I’ve never had the experience like watching Cillian carry the weight of J. Robert on his back for the whole time with his heart on his sleeve and all the required sophistication and restraint.” Murphy took the stage and admitted that he does not like to talk about himself, so he rather paid back the compliments to Downey Jr., calling him an actor “of staggering capability.” He also assures the audience that they “should also know that he’s one of the kindest, most compassionate, generous, funniest humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.” Cillian described working with Nolan for 20 years, “a mind-bending, life-changing experience.” Then showed gratitude as this kind of opportunity comes by “probably once in your career if you’re lucky.… I didn’t forget that for a moment. I knew it was responsibility and I just went for it.”