During his statement, Downey Jr. thanked his wife for playing “a sane and rational individual who is happily married to an actor.” He then proceeded to reel off a large number of A-list individuals by name.
At the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards, which took place on Saturday night, Robert Downey Jr. made a reference to fifty percent of the Hollywood industry while he was accepting his trophy.
When Downey Jr. took the stage after receiving the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Oppenheimer, he first inquired in a mocking manner, “Why me? Why at this time? Why is it that everything seems to be going in my favor?
After that, he made a joke by saying, “Unlike my fellow nominees, I will never grow tired from the sound of my own voice,” and then he proceeded to name-drop a whole number of A-list names of famous colleagues and collaborators.
Among those mentioned: Teri Garr, James Spader, Anthony Michael Hall, Mel Gibson — who RDJ’s credited for telling him “to not give up hope” when he “couldn’t get sober” in the past –Whoopi Goldberg, Alfre Woodard, Woody Harrelson, Holly Hunter, Kenneth Branagh, Jodie Foster, Annette Bening, Val Kilmer, Jamie Foxx, Judge Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, his Oppenheimer costars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Alden Ehrenreich, before, finally, adding his wife, Susan Downey.
“Now why have I added my wife’s name to this list of otherwise super talent artists that I have learned so much from up close from over these last 40 years?” After that, he inquired, unveiling the significance that each of those individuals had for him simultaneously.
“It’s because, for the past 23 years, she has flawlessly portrayed a sane and rational individual who is happily married to an actor,” he stated before devoting his prize to the couple’s two children, Indio and Exton. “It’s because she has accomplished this for the past 23 years.”
You can see the full list of winners by clicking here, and if you want to witness some of the most memorable moments from the evening, go here.
