Robert Downey Jr. had the audience laughing as he affectionately joked with Gwyneth Paltrow about her continued difficulty following the Marvel world.
While presenting the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood ReporterAt the Annual Women in Entertainment Gala on December 3, she joked that she remains “always confused by the basics of the Marvel universe and its inhabitants.”
The two starred together in the three iron man films, where Paltrow played Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s love interest and later wife, in what eventually became the basis of the massive Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But despite so many years in superhero territory, Downey Jr. said he still had a hard time remembering who’s who on set.
He recalled a moment when she asked, “Who is he? He said his name was Peter.” Downey Jr. said he had to tell him, “No, his character’s name is Peter. That’s Tom Holland. You did four movies with him.”
He affectionately described her as admired and misunderstood at the same time, saying she could be “vilified and revered,” possibly a mix of both.
Mocking his quirks, he also praised his brilliance.
“She’s a great actress, and yet she’s not at all impressed with herself,” he said, adding that while she may have “some blind spots,” she also has “vision. Vision. All caps.”
Downey Jr. also noted that he helped bring Paltrow back into movies when she joined. iron man in 2007.
At the same time, she was launching Goop and balancing motherhood, while holding on to the Hollywood success she’d already built with her Oscar and Golden Globe wins.
With humor and admiration woven together, their tribute showed how far their professional bond and friendship have come, and how Paltrow’s joyful confusion about Marvel has become one of the most endearing parts of their story.
