"Nicolas, your performance was good. The production team will inform your agent once there's a result."
After watching Nicolas Cage's audition, Gilbert said this calmly.
Without receiving any concrete promise, Nicolas Cage looked a bit disappointed, but he understood the rules of the industry well. He politely left the audition room.
After he walked out, Kevin Feige said, "Nicolas Cage's face always looks so full of suffering—it probably doesn't fit the role of Tony Stark."
"Agreed," Gilbert nodded. "Let's keep him as an alternate option. We'll see how the others perform."
Nicolas Cage's situation wasn't great. His excessive spending and risky investments had left him deeply in debt. The only reason he could still maintain his lifestyle was that he still had acting jobs for now.
If he continued to take on too many projects without caring about quality, he would soon become what he had been in the previous life—the king of bad movies.
Sofia Coppola clearly knew her cousin's predicament, so she asked Gilbert to give him an audition opportunity. Gilbert agreed.
However, Nicolas Cage's image was far from the Iron Man that Gilbert envisioned, so he was only kept as a backup choice.
Logically speaking, if the role was meant for Robert Downey Jr., there would've been no need for an audition at all—he could've been cast directly.
But that wasn't the case. This was Marvel Studios' first film project. Although Gilbert had significant authority, he still had to respect the opinions of others.
He could easily make the decision himself, but that would inevitably cause dissent and possibly affect the project's progress.
Adding one more audition round wasn't a big deal. Robert Downey Jr. also needed this audition to convince everyone with his performance.
After all, his past scandals were well-known. Though the rumor was that he had turned his life around, everyone in Hollywood knew how things worked—no one could be sure if he had truly changed.
After several other auditions, it was finally Robert Downey Jr.'s turn.
He took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and entered the audition hall. Right in the center, he saw Gilbert.
He knew this was the man who could decide his fate, so he quickly greeted, "Hello, Director Gilbert, Mr. Feige, Ms. Diaz, Director Jon—nice to see you all."
Gilbert carefully observed Robert Downey Jr.'s state. He looked energetic, wore a suit, had a neat beard, and his hair was well-combed—he already had that Tony Stark vibe.
"Get him a hamburger," Gilbert said. "Jon, you can act with him—play opposite his scene."
"Got it," Jon Favreau replied, stepping in as a temporary actor to give Robert Downey Jr. someone to interact with.
The scene Robert Downey Jr. was to perform was the one where Tony Stark, freshly returned from the Middle East, appears at a press conference, eating a hamburger with his arm in a sling, and announces the shutdown of Stark Industries' weapons division.
After glancing over the script, Robert Downey Jr. signaled that he was ready. Gilbert nodded for him to begin.
Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau sat on the floor, pretending that reporters surrounded them, and began the performance. The camera faithfully recorded every frame of his audition.
"Hey! Can everyone sit down, please?" Robert Downey Jr. said as he pulled a hamburger from his pocket and unwrapped it.
"Can you all sit down? That way you can see me, and I can see you. Let's keep it casual."
Nice attention to detail. After saying that, Robert Downey Jr. even took a bite of the burger. It was a bit cold, but at least it was edible.
"Not bad," Kevin Feige said to Gilbert. "He captured Tony Stark's personality in just a simple scene."
"Let's keep watching him perform," Gilbert replied.
The audition continued. Jon Favreau acted opposite Robert Downey Jr., this time taking the role of the film's antagonist.
Jon Favreau crouched down beside him. Robert Downey Jr., still chewing his burger, said, "Good to see you."
"I feel the same," Jon Favreau replied with a professional smile—a fake one, to be exact. He placed his hand on Robert Downey Jr.'s shoulder and said, "I didn't get the chance to see your father before he passed."
Robert Downey Jr. responded, "I never had the chance to say goodbye to my father."
He set down his burger, wiped his hands with a napkin, and looked out toward the imaginary reporters. "I have a question I always wanted to ask him—what did he truly think about manufacturing weapons?
Was he ever conflicted? Did he ever waver?
Or was he really the tough guy that the media always portrayed him to be?"
The subtle changes in Robert Downey Jr.'s facial expressions were remarkable. Clearly, despite his years of decline, his acting skills hadn't faded at all.
Or perhaps Tony Stark as a character suited him too well—it was practically a role tailor-made for him.
At first, Kevin Feige indeed had doubts about casting Robert Downey Jr., but after watching his performance from the initial to the final audition, he suddenly understood Gilbert's eye for casting.
Indeed, leaving fame aside, Robert Downey Jr. was simply born to play Tony Stark.
The audition scene lasted only a few minutes. Afterward, Gilbert reviewed the footage from the camera once again. The result was still great—it even carried a touch of the feeling from his previous life's version.
However, Gilbert didn't make the decision on the spot. Instead, he told Robert Downey Jr. to go home and wait for further notice.
After he left, Gilbert asked the others, "Well? How do you all feel?"
Kevin Feige said, "I had my doubts at first, but now I think he is Tony Stark."
"What about you, Jon?"
Jon Favreau replied, "A performance without any trace of acting—it felt like he was just being himself. Very impressive. Honestly, much better than Nicolas Cage."
If Tom Cruise had been the one auditioning, there might have been some debate.
But since none of the other actors came close to Robert Downey Jr.'s performance, no one objected. And so, Robert Downey Jr. was finalized for the role.
After leaving, Robert Downey Jr. met up with his wife, Susan Downey, to head home.
While driving, Susan asked, "How did the audition go? Did Director Gilbert say anything?"
"No," Robert Downey Jr. shook his head. "He just told me to wait for their call."
"Really?" Susan looked a bit worried. "A lot of actors out there have cleaner reputations than you. What if the studio hesitates because of your past?"
Just as she said that, a phone call came through.
Robert Downey Jr. hurriedly picked it up. On the other end was Kevin Feige: "Mr. Downey, I'm happy to inform you that the results are in.
We all agree that you're the perfect choice. Please come to Marvel Studios on Thursday to discuss your actor contract."
"That's amazing!" Robert Downey Jr. turned to Susan and made a triumphant YES gesture before saying excitedly, "Thank you! Thank you so much. I'll definitely be there."
After hanging up, Robert Downey Jr. exclaimed, "The results are out—I got the part!"
"Really?"
"Really."
"That's wonderful!" Susan said joyfully. "If the result came out this fast, it means they were very pleased with your performance.
Did they mention anything about the contract?"
"They did," Robert Downey Jr. said, his eyes full of anticipation. "We're signing on Thursday."
Susan smiled. "Then today is a day worth celebrating. Let's find a nice restaurant and celebrate!"
"Sure. I know a great place for Arabic barbecue. Let's go there."
"Perfect…"
And just like that, the role of Tony Stark was decided. The next day's audition for Pepper Potts went smoothly as well.
Although Spielberg recommended Gwyneth Paltrow, Gilbert ultimately chose the more beautiful Kate Beckinsale.
Pepper Potts was meant to be a decorative character—a "flower vase." And Gwyneth Paltrow couldn't quite fill that role. Since the character was going to be eye candy anyway, why not choose the most beautiful one?
Kevin Feige was also very satisfied with the casting choice. Once again, he felt that when it came to movies, it was best to let Gilbert take the lead—his casting instincts were spot-on.
...
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