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Downey Jr. Changes Race in New Film

AP
Posted: 2008-03-06 14:44:16
Filed Under: Movie News
LOS ANGELES (March 6) - In "Tropic Thunder," one of three summer films featuring Robert Downey Jr., the actor appears on screen as a black man.

Downey Jr. plays overly committed actor Kirk Lazarus, a white man cast to play a black soldier in the satire of filmmaking. The film also stars Jack Black and Ben Stiller, who co-wrote, directed and produced it. EW Has More

"If it's done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago," Downey told Entertainment Weekly magazine. "If you don't do it right, we're going to hell."

Stiller said he was "trying to push it as far as you can within reality," with the intent of satirizing over-the-top actors, not African-Americans.

"I had no idea how people would respond to it," Stiller told the magazine. But at a recent screening, black viewers liked the film, he said.

Downey explained that he kept the character from becoming a caricature because he "dove in with both feet."

Paramount is set to release "Tropic Thunder" Aug. 15.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-03-06 11:03:15
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Recent Comments

1 - 10 of 433
433 comments

coachchris30 10:44:33 PM Mar 17 2008

LOL

coachchris30 05:49:53 PM Mar 10 2008

BDSerrano wrote:hey!i think its great we need to laugh at ourselves once in a while.And remember first that we are all the same,in one way or another. ALL THE SAME? HUH? IM A 30 YEAR OLD WHITE MALE WHICH JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE THE MOST DESCRIMINATED GROUP IN AMERICA! THATS A FACT-NOT UP FOR DEBATE! BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT ALL THE SAME!!! WHEN IS MY "WHITE HISTORY MONTH"? WHAT CHANNEL IS "WHITE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION"? AND WHEN IS THE "WHITE MISS AMERICA PAGEANT"?. TRY PULLING ANY OF THOSE THINGS OFF AND TELL ME WE ARE ALL THE SAME!! TAKE 2 EQUAL APPLICANTS FOR A JOB--THINK I COULD SAY "HIRE ME BECAUSE IM WHITE AND IF YOU DONT YOURE A RASCIST" OR CRY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION???....I THINK NOT! AND GOD FORBID MY DAUGHTER EVER NEEDS HELP AT CORNELL WITH HER EDUCATION COSTS-DO YOU THINK SHED QUALIFY FOR ANY ASSISTANCE FROM THE NEGRO COLLEGE FUND OR IS SHE SENT TO THE BACK OF THE BUS ON THAT ONE AND EXCLUDED? WE ARE NOT THE SAME!!

zionart 05:17:55 PM Mar 10 2008

coachchris30, Are you REALLY reading what you are posting? "WHITE HISTORY MONTH"?- I think that would be pretty much all year, especially what they teach in schools, thank God things have changed a little bit, but certainly not enough...WHAT CHANNEL IS "WHITE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION"?- Well, I think that would be, for starters, CBS, ABC, NBC etc. Just count how many non-Caucasian news casters they have on the major networks. I am truly sorry that I can not feel much empathy for your self-defined discrimination. Nor can I find facts to support your theory. I did notice that you did not list any of the facts that you speak of either. Could it be that your attitude might be a part of the "discrimination" that you are experiencing? ...Just saying...

coachchris30 11:39:43 PM Mar 09 2008

BDSerrano wrote:hey!i think its great we need to laugh at ourselves once in a while.And remember first that we are all the same,in one way or another. ALL THE SAME? HUH? IM A 30 YEAR OLD WHITE MALE WHICH JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE THE MOST DESCRIMINATED GROUP IN AMERICA! THATS A FACT-NOT UP FOR DEBATE! BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT ALL THE SAME!!! WHEN IS MY "WHITE HISTORY MONTH"? WHAT CHANNEL IS "WHITE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION"? AND WHEN IS THE "WHITE MISS AMERICA PAGEANT"?. TRY PULLING ANY OF THOSE THINGS OFF AND TELL ME WE ARE ALL THE SAME!! TAKE 2 EQUAL APPLICANTS FOR A JOB--THINK I COULD SAY "HIRE ME BECAUSE IM WHITE AND IF YOU DONT YOURE A RASCIST" OR CRY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION???....I THINK NOT! AND GOD FORBID MY DAUGHTER EVER NEEDS HELP AT CORNELL WITH HER EDUCATION COSTS-DO YOU THINK SHED QUALIFY FOR ANY ASSISTANCE FROM THE NEGRO COLLEGE FUND OR IS SHE SENT TO THE BACK OF THE BUS ON THAT ONE AND EXCLUDED? WE ARE NOT THE SAME!!

salafinn 06:52:33 PM Mar 09 2008

Why are you so worried about people being able to express their culture - if you had respect for your own, you wouldn't worry about what other people are doing.

salafinn 06:51:12 PM Mar 09 2008

Coachchris30 - who the HECK are you crapping?
We celebrate white america EVERYDAY of the year, have been since white men set foot on North American ground. Only within the past 15 years has it become common to see folks other than caucasisn on tv, movies. Obviously - you need to take a look around - cause everywhere I look I ONLY see "happy white day". White people don't notice it because it's 'their culture'.
And, uh - BY the way - I'm an american female of asian descent who has slim chances of getting into Harvard - not because of my scores which obviously OUTDO my classmates of other ethnicities and races (including caucasians) but because of matters relating to the limit of certain races in this particular school (ie, the limit of QUALIFIED students who have asian background) - so don't cry about 'equal applicants' or affirmative action because there are others who are more qualified than you - that you don't realize were jipped because your skin was the 'right color'.
Why are

coachchris30 01:38:14 AM Mar 09 2008

BDSerrano wrote:hey!i think its great we need to laugh at ourselves once in a while.And remember first that we are all the same,in one way or another. ALL THE SAME? HUH? IM A 30 YEAR OLD WHITE MALE WHICH JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE THE MOST DESCRIMINATED GROUP IN AMERICA! THATS A FACT-NOT UP FOR DEBATE! BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT ALL THE SAME!!! WHEN IS MY "WHITE HISTORY MONTH"? WHAT CHANNEL IS "WHITE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION"? AND WHEN IS THE "WHITE MISS AMERICA PAGEANT"?. TRY PULLING ANY OF THOSE THINGS OFF AND TELL ME WE ARE ALL THE SAME!! TAKE 2 EQUAL APPLICANTS FOR A JOB--THINK I COULD SAY "HIRE ME BECAUSE IM WHITE AND IF YOU DONT YOURE A RASCIST" OR CRY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION???....I THINK NOT! AND GOD FORBID MY DAUGHTER EVER NEEDS HELP AT CORNELL WITH HER EDUCATION COSTS-DO YOU THINK SHED QUALIFY FOR ANY ASSISTANCE FROM THE NEGRO COLLEGE FUND OR IS SHE SENT TO THE BACK OF THE BUS ON THAT ONE AND EXCLUDED? WE ARE NOT THE SAME!!

viragonian 11:20:26 PM Mar 08 2008

Oh, yeah and Robert Downey, Jr. rocks! Just wish he'd get his demons off his back. He deserves a long, long career. He's got "it" for sure.

viragonian 11:18:34 PM Mar 08 2008

White males are NOT the most discriminated group in America, not when millions of people have endured Slavery, Torture, Genocide and Discrimination by the millions.

I just had to say that because my Family comes in all colors from lily-white to the deepest ebony and what this country does to people simply based on the color of their skin is unspeakable...dividing them like cattle and leaving the majority in the middle scratching their heads b/c there is really no such thing as 'white' or 'black' at least not as America depicts it. So, reach out and hug someone. Peace.

coachchris30 09:15:46 AM Mar 08 2008

BDSerrano wrote:hey!i think its great we need to laugh at ourselves once in a while.And remember first that we are all the same,in one way or another. ALL THE SAME? HUH? IM A 30 YEAR OLD WHITE MALE WHICH JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE THE MOST DESCRIMINATED GROUP IN AMERICA! THATS A FACT-NOT UP FOR DEBATE! BUT WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT ALL THE SAME!!! WHEN IS MY "WHITE HISTORY MONTH"? WHAT CHANNEL IS "WHITE ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION"? AND WHEN IS THE "WHITE MISS AMERICA PAGEANT"?. TRY PULLING ANY OF THOSE THINGS OFF AND TELL ME WE ARE ALL THE SAME!! TAKE 2 EQUAL APPLICANTS FOR A JOB--THINK I COULD SAY "HIRE ME BECAUSE IM WHITE AND IF YOU DONT YOURE A RASCIST" OR CRY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION???....I THINK NOT! AND GOD FORBID MY DAUGHTER EVER NEEDS HELP AT CORNELL WITH HER EDUCATION COSTS-DO YOU THINK SHED QUALIFY FOR ANY ASSISTANCE FROM THE NEGRO COLLEGE FUND OR IS SHE SENT TO THE BACK OF THE BUS ON THAT ONE AND EXCLUDED? WE ARE NOT THE SAME!!

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