ROBERT DOWNEY JR talks about the first time he had to put on the Iron Man suit for his latest film

What does playing Iron Man mean to you?

The chance to play Tony Stark and slip into the red and gold armour was a childhood dream come true. I’m an American. I love Marvel Comics and grew up reading Iron Man and Spider-Man. I have always been drawn to Iron Man because he had amazing ingenuity and intelligence. Superheroes are great, but superheroes who manufacture weapons and then build a suit of armour that they wear and can fly around in makes for the ultimate ‘nerdgasm,’ (laughs)

What is Iron Man like according to you?

Iron Man is someone who’s conflicted for the right reasons, and who doesn’t recognise his potential until he starts to live in accordance with a moral code.

How did you feel when you first put on the Iron Man armour?

I’d been training all these years and thought I was pretty tough, but the first time I put on the Mark 1 suit, I almost had a personality meltdown (laughs). I’m not claustrophobic, but after moving around in it for a couple of hours your spirit is kind of broken and you’re like, ‘ok, time to bring in the stunt team.

You look very fit, how did you physically train yourself?

About a year ago I decided that I really want to put on some size, which isn’t easy when you’re approaching 40. I felt that if I was ever going to do a movie like Iron Man, I had to do it quickly before it became embarrassing being the guy in tights with the flabby body. The first thing I did was tons of strength training, because I’m not a kid anymore and you must first get your tendons, bones, and muscles strong enough to deal with the weight you’re going to be lifting. It was really about survival for me, and all the hard work in preproduction wound up giving me the strength to do the movie.

Which was the most difficult scene to shoot?

A scene where I had to walk through a desert just before I am rescued by Rhodey my colleague. We were shooting at Olancha Sand Dunes, an extension of a dry lake bed between two mountain ranges. We had to endure two days of 40 to 60-mile an hour winds that almost shut the production. Despite the miserable conditions, I was grateful for the opportunity I had been given. I will never forget laying there buried half-alive in the middle of an intense sandstorm. I could barely see out of the Iron Man helmet. But I am not complaining. I felt it was a great moment of gratitude towards the elements and what a privilege it was to be playing Tony Stark with the caliber of people I was working with.

Finally tell us about your over all experience working on the film?

I’m hopelessly in love with this film and so proud of everybody who was part of this experience. The film has it all – a great story, great cast and probably one of the best crews I’ve ever worked with.