Robert Downey Jr. Badgered About Not Being Liberal, Leaves Mid-Interview

04.23.2015 | News | Alicia Powe |

Actor Robert Downey Jr. walked out of an interview after being badgered about his political beliefs and time in prison while in London to promote his new movie, “Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

UK’s Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked Downey a few questions about his new movie during the interview, then changed the subject to Downey’s politics and “dark” past.

“I don’t want to pry so if you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine,” Guru-Murphy said, “but what you said to The New York Times was about—it was after your incarceration and you said that you can’t go from a $2,000 a night hotel suite to a penitentiary and understand it and come out a liberal—I just wondered what you meant by that?”

“The funny thing is — and I appreciate your point of view — things you said 5-7 years ago or things you said in an interview that made sense to you at the time — I could pick that apart for two hours and I’d be no closer to the truth than I’d be giving you some half-assed answer right now. I couldn’t even really tell you what a liberal is, so therein lies the answer to your question.”

Downey, who was sentenced to prison for three years in 1999 for repeatedly violating probation on drug and weapons charges, was clearly agitated by Guru-Murthy’s line of questioning, but interviewer kept asking Downey about what he meant by the quote.

“The statement sort of stands by itself, doesn’t it? Does that mean that you’re not a liberal? Or that you came out of a prison not being liberal?”

“What are we doing,” Downey asked. “Are we promoting a movie?”

Downey explained that he is not a Republican, liberal or Democrat.

“I think when I was talking to the person who was doing the interview that day and that just happened to be my opinion,” he said. “That’s the nice thing, you can have opinions and they change and flow.”

Guru-Murphy proceeded to ask Robert about his father, his history of substance abuse and the “dark period” in his life.

Ultimately, Robert Downey Jr. walks out of the interview.

The same guy memorably infuriated Quentin Tarantino during a press interview for “Django Unchained.”

Alicia Powe

Staff Writer

Alicia Powe is a staff writer for Daily Surge. She worked in the War Room of the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee and served as a White House Intern during the George W. Bush administration. Alicia has written for numerous outlets, including Human Events, Media Research Center and Townhall.com.

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