Robert Downey Jr. had a killer cameo in Ryan Gosling‘s The Nice Guys, and he’s finally talking about it about a decade later. Directed by Shane Black, the action comedy revolves around Gosling and Russell Crowe‘s characters, who team up to find out about the disappearance of a girl.
During their investigation, they learn about a Sid Shattuck, a film financer, only for Gosling’s Holland March to stumble upon his dead body in the woods. Thanks to the condition of the body – bloody and face half blown off – many might not have realised that Sid Shattuck was played by none other than RDJ himself.
That’s right, the superstar who was once the face of Marvel and charges millions of dollars for his films made an uncredited cameo in a film as a dead body.
Downey recently conducted a Q&A with Black at the Alamo Drafthouse for his upcoming film, Play Dirty, where they discussed the hilarious and unexpected cameo. The actor asked the right question, “Am I credited with that?” Check out the moment:
Robert Downey Jr. and Shane Black on Downey’s “not cameo” in The Nice Guys. #PlayDirty pic.twitter.com/1RnlT5vhWz
We wonder if Downey was paid for the cameo or if he did it out of love for Black, the man who is sort of responsible for his Hollywood stardom.
Shane Black and Robert Downey Jr. Go Way Back
Shane Black made his directorial debut with the 2005 film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and guess who was in it? That’s right, Robert Downey Jr. played the role of Harry Lockhart, a thief pretending to be an actor who gets involved in a murder investigation.
While the film didn’t do any wonders at the box office, it would go on to change Downey’s life.
In a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Downey admitted that while Kiss Kiss Bang Bang didn’t end up being the “coming-out party I’d thought it would be“, it caught the attention of Jon Favreau, the director of Iron Man and the man behind Happy Hogan.
Downey said, “It ended up being my calling card to Iron Man“. Favreau loved the actor’s performance in the film and stood against anyone who didn’t want him to play Tony Stark, eventually giving him the career resurgence he so badly needed. Eventually, Black and Downey reunited for Iron Man 3.
What’s Robert Downey Jr’s Role in Shane Black’s New Film?
Downey and Black have reunited for another film, Play Dirty. Starring Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield, the action thriller is about a thief trying to outsmart a South American dictator, the New York mob, and the world’s richest man during a heist.
Downey was first attached to the film as an actor prior to Wahlberg’s casting, but he stepped away from the role. However, he is still attached to the project via his production company, Team Downey.
Black and Downey began working on the film in 2022, with the former adapting a script from the Parker novels with Charles Mondry and Anthony Bagarozzi.
Apart from Stanfield and Wahlberg, the cast of Play Dirty includes Rosa Salazar, Tony Shalhoub, Keegan-Michael Key, Nat Wolff, Chukwudi Iwuji, and more. The film’s music is composed by Alan Silvestri.
Play Dirty will be released on Prime Video on October 01. Meanwhile, rent/buy The Nice Guys and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang on Prime Video.
