In a pea coat over a dress shirt and tie, with James-Dean-meets-the-Bride-of-Frankenstein hair, posing like he’s part of the ensemble in a modern dance troupe: this is how Robert Downey Jr. tried to impress casting directors in 1985.
Vulture’s got a gallery of old headshots taken by a photographer named Andrew Brucker who sought to elevate the form to new artistic levels. Amongst photos of young Will Arnett, Kerry Washington and Winona Ryder, this RDJ photo stands out as being the weirdest. It’s as if he had it taken specifically to audition for the role of Inspector Gadget as directed by Tim Burton.
What’s the actual explanation for this photo? Occam’s Razor says: drugs.