New age for Iron Man

IRON MAN Robert Downey Jr looks at the young man with the microphone standing in front of him and mouths the words, “I love you”. His message is reward for all the nice things, very nice things, the young man from the international contingent of film writers has said to the actor.

Not just that the film the Marvel blockbuster movie Iron Man 3 is great but that Downey is one of the most extraordinary actors of our time.

It’s the type of comment the always-watchable Downey, a born performer on and off screen, can’t ignore. Hence the silent message of love and the follow-up “Let’s have dinner.” I last saw the young man heading upstairs at the Dorchester Hotel so, who knows maybe he got his private audience after all.

In response, Downey has a question of his own – directed at his fellow press conference companions – Sir Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall and director Shane Black: “How much did you pay him?”

A Robert Downey Jr press conference is never dull. The snappily dressed performer is always game for a laugh and off-the-cuff witty remarks. He’s made Marvel superhero Iron Man, billionaire industrialist turned do-gooder Tony Stark, his own. A man quite capable of saving the world but after the exertions of The Avengers Assemble (in which he joined a whole array of superheroes to save the world from aliens) he’s having anxiety attacks and personal problems with girlfriend, Pepper Potts. This is very inconvenient as a new threat to world peace is causing havoc, The Mandarin (a brilliantly deceptive performance from Kingsley).

Iron Man 3 is a splendid start to the summer blockbuster season. Smart and funny but with heart thanks to Downey and director Shane Black, who co-wrote the screenplay.

They’re a pair of comeback kids. Lethal Weapon writer Black wrote and directed the thriller Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005, which put Downey back on the cinematic straight and narrow after a nightmare period of drug problems.

Iron Man 3 was a challenge, not just because number three in a franchise tends to run out of steam but because this movie follows Iron Man’s appearance in record-breaking Avengers Assemble, which grossed $1.5 billion worldwide.

Downey knew that Avengers Assemble changed the game, which is why Stark is stripped of his powers and has to go back to basics in the new adventure.

“We felt that after Avengers we couldn’t go for more of a spectacle. I’m so pleased that people who have seen the new movie are telling us we’ve done it correctly,” he says.

“Jon Favreau [director of Iron Man 1 and 2] was a goddamn prince in terms of going to him and asking what was your thinking and how do we stay true to the legacy of what you established to make a different tone from Avengers but one that’s consistent with what you locked in.

“Here’s a guy who could have come on board and been disrespectful, instead he was the most gracious help, a wonderful participant in this process.”

Favreau also reprises his role of security chief and Stark’s right hand man Happy Hogan, who reveals he’s a fan of Brit period drama Downton Abbey in one of the quirky touches that makes Iron Man 3 such a pleasure.

Downey and Iron Man have become inseparable. But a question about Tony Stark’s anxiety attacks makes him well, anxious and unusually silent, although not for long. “You know I’m pretty quick. I think I’m pretty witty. But I might be out of steam. Why don’t you repeat the question? And after I’ve had dinner with him ...” he says looking at his bromantic admirer.

“All I know is we’re doing something right. I’m really glad audiences are responding to this movie. Being able to do this again with Don and Gwyneth is a great pleasure, but having Sir Ben rocketed us into another dimension, and the over-talented Rebecca Hall classing the joint up made this a most delightful experience.

“Co-writer Drew Pearce and Shane listened to us all run our mouths for weeks and weeks and weeks, said thank you very much, then went away and came back with a script, which is the story we shot. That’s why we’re sitting here and that’s why most of you aren’t saying this film sucks.”

Scarborough-born Sir Ben adds another villain to his repertoire. But fanatical terrorist The Mandarin isn’t everything he seems. The actor received a warm welcome as the “new boy”.

“It’s a measure of their confidence and joy in what they do and what they’ve created in the franchise. The welcome they gave to me was so assured, so generous and so confident that in seconds I felt like a team player. It was really extraordinary,” he says in what was fast becoming something of a loved-up luvvie-fest.

The Mandarin has a large streak of theatrical ham running through him. There’s even mention of his Lear in Croydon. Sir Ben, who’s played a few Shakespearean characters in his time, brought his stage experiences to bear on the character.

“I felt really at home while reading the script and the many devices the Mandarin employs,” he says. “A lot of them are rooted in observation on my part and I won’t name names but some of them might recognise I’m doing them.”

The crew obviously approved as Black recalls that at the end of Sir Ben’s big scene, they burst into applause.

The action scenes were demanding, with Downey reporting that he, Paltrow and Cheadle “moved around more than we expected”. For Paltrow part of the fun of doing these films is that Pepper gets involved in the fighting. “I had never heard of Iron Man until Jon Favreau called me. I didn’t grow up reading comics at all,” she says.

“When the first Iron Man came about I had taken a few years off, I was at home having kids. There was no script so I was really flying blind because I didn’t know anything about the comics. Robert and Jon talked me into doing it.

“It’s been a great journey playing Pepper. In every movie she gets to have a real evolution. Iron Man 3 is the most fun of roles so far. I never would have thought of myself being in a comic book superhero movie and I’m glad I did it and it’s been my main job for the last six years.”

She was shocked when she saw Iron Man 3 the night before with her kids and their friends. “Everyone loved it including myself. I was really surprised,” she says. “Normally, like when we’re on the set, I find it difficult to follow the plot on paper. I find it all so confusing. But the movie plays so well, it’s so much fun to watch. I was really amazed by the job Shane did.”