Robert Downey Jr a 'Melted Mess' After Bombing Broadway Debut Tanks: 'The Brutal Reviews Have Shattered Him!'
Robert Downey Jr. made his Broadway debut in McNeal at the end of September.
Oct. 25 2024, Published 5:15 p.m. ET
Robert Downey Jr. has allegedly been a "mess" after his eagerly awaited Broadway debut in McNeal turned into a surprising disaster.
Sources close to the Academy Award winner say he is struggling to cope with the negative reviews for his new play, which has now cast a shadow over his career, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Downey is reportedly a 'mess' after his Broadway debut in McNeal was met with harsh critic reviews.
Insiders claimed: "Robert took a bold leap from dominating the silver screen to trying his luck on stage. But the brutal reviews have shattered him."
"He poured his heart into the project, only for it to bomb — it's been a blow to his ego!"
The actor made his Broadway debut just months after taking home his first Oscar for Oppenheimer.
Another source claimed that the second the show wraps up, "he won't be stepping foot on a theater stage again."
Downey's Broadway debut comes just months after the actor took home his first Oscar for his best supporting actor role in Oppenheimer earlier this year.
His new play, from Pulitzer Prize-winner Ayad Akhtar, opened at the Lincoln Center Theater on September 30.
It focuses on Downey's character Jacob McNeal, an acclaimed novelist whose struggle with alcoholism and mental illness reaches a breaking point at a crucial moment in his career.
Although the play has attracted attention for its examination of the intricate implications of artificial intelligence, the one-act show was met with less-than-glamorous reviews.
Variety labeled Downey's debut as "stale and confounding", while The New York Post referred to the "awful" production as a "total wipeout".
Other publications called the show a "mixed bag of insight and exhaustion" pegged with "flat characters".
The play is running for a limited time and is currently scheduled to close on November 24.
Downey's new play was labeled as 'stale' and 'confusing' by critics at the show's opening night.
Downey previously shared an Instagram video to document McNeal's opening night, which showed the actor in his dressing room as he brewed himself a cup of coffee and headed to the stage before doors.
The Iron Man star took a moment to look out into the empty house before thousands of theatergoers took their seats.
In an interview just days before the play's opening, Downey told Broadway.com that switching from the screen to the stage felt "unnaturally natural".
He added: "I'm able to bring all the experience I've had in other mediums back to here."
Downey last appeared on the NYC stage nearly 41 years ago in a failed play that closed the same night it opened.
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Downey noted how he didn't even get through his first reading of the script before deciding to jump head-first into the project.
He said: "When that happens, there's no 'Why' — because I feel like this is a gift."
The actor last appeared on stage roughly 41 years ago in a failed musical called American Passion, which opened and closed on the same day at the Joyce Theatre in downtown NYC.
On why he decided to return to the theater, the actor told Vogue: "New play, timely subject matter, great integers, great humans involved, Bart, the cast."
Downey also said it's been "great to be back" in New York City and that his goal is to "never miss a show".
He joked: "My intention is to be first on-site every goddamn performance."
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