Robert Downey Jr on Elon Musk ‘cosplaying Tony Stark’: ‘I wish he’d control his behaviour’

The actor Robert Downey Jr has addressed similarities between politically excitable billionaire Elon Musk – whose portfolio includes X, Tesla and SpaceX – and Tony Stark, the cocky tycoon superhero Downey Jr played in Iron Man and the Avengers films.

Speaking on the On With Kara Swisher podcast, Downey Jr said: “I’ve only met him a few times. As an almost 60-year-old recovering white American male, I just wish that he would control his behaviour a little more, but that’s not on me.”

He continued: “I know that this idea of ‘It’s all OK because we’ve gotta get to Mars’ doesn’t really hold water with me. But again, you know, you have to look at all that he’s done that demonstrates why he’s valuable.”

Downey Jr and Musk briefly appeared together in Iron Man 2, in a scene set at the Monaco Grand Prix, in which Stark and Musk warmly greet each other and the latter announces that he’s “Got an idea for an electric jet”.

In 2022, Iron Man screenwriter Mark Fergus confirmed that Musk had partly inspired the screen version of the Marvel hero, as both men share tech prowess, arrogance and a short fuse. He told New York magazine that Stark was as if “Musk took the brilliance of [Steve] Jobs with the showmanship of [Donald] Trump,” adding: “He was the only one who had the fun factor and the celebrity vibe and actual business substance.”

Trump has frequently wangled his way into US movies, contributing cameos to the likes of Zoolander and Two Weeks Notice Last year, Trump rejected claims by Chris Columbus that he had “bullied” his way into appearing in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The director said Trump would only allow them to shoot at the Plaza hotel, which Trump owned, if he appeared in a cameo.

Rather, said the former US president, the production team were “begging me to make a cameo appearance”. He continued: “I was very busy, and didn’t want to do it. They were very nice, but above all, persistent.

“I agreed, and the rest is history! That little cameo took off like a rocket and the movie was a big success, and still is, especially around Christmas time. People call me whenever it is aired.”

In 2015, Back to the Future writer Bob Gale confirmed the longstanding theory that Biff Tannen, the trilogy’s dim yet avaricious antagonist who opens a casino and uses the money to influence US politics, was based on Trump.

Musk repeated his endorsement of Trump at a speech during a rally on Sunday evening. Trump has said that should he be elected again, he would hire Musk in a new post as secretary of cost-cutting.

Last week, the actor Michael Keaton addressed attenders of Trump rallies by saying neither Trump nor Musk “really respect you, they laugh at you behind your back, they think you’re stupid”. He continued: “They don’t want to hang out with you. They have nothing in common with you. They’re not your bros.”

Director Darren Aronofsky is in development on an A24 biopic of Musk based on Walter Isaacson’s authorised biography. No casting has yet been announced, but Variety included Downey Jr on a list of actors they believe would be a good fit.