Hashim Asraff
Robert Downey Jr. made his movie debut as a child actor in the 1970 film directed by his father Robert Downey Sr., Pound. Downey Jr. started off as a Broadway actor in his teen years, while also trying to break into mainstream films. The Iron Man actor had been pursuing roles since 1983, landing only in small parts in a handful of movies. His first lead role came only in 1987 with the movie The Pick-up Artist.
During this period, Downey Jr. auditioned for several major roles unsuccessfully. His influential background also did not provide much help, and he was even fired from Saturday Night Live due to his poor comedic talent. Interestingly, The Avengers actor lost roles twice to another fan-favorite franchise actor during that time.
Robert Downey Jr. Lost The Karate Kid Role To Ralph Macchio
It is a lesser-known fact that Robert Downey Jr. auditioned for the role of Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid in 1984. In fact, many well-known actors auditioned for the role, most of whom belonged to the Brat Pack, a group of young actors who appeared together in teen-oriented films in the 1980s. The Brat Pack actors who auditioned for the role included Downey Jr., Sean Penn, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, and Nicolas Cage.
However, the role went to Ralph Macchio who received critical acclaim for his performance and reprised the role in two sequel films and a series, Cobra Kai. Macchio made an appearance on The Tonight Show in 2021, where host Jimmy Fallon asked The Deuce actor to reveal the truth about certain fan theories and rumors surrounding the Karate Kid movies.
When asked about other famous stars who auditioned for The Karate Kid role, Machhio was quick to recall Charlie Sheen and Downey Jr. The My Cousin Vinny actor shared with Jimmy Fallon:
“It was like one of those test deals where you’re not in yet. And I remember walking by and seeing Charlie Sheen hanging outside Jerry Weintraub’s bungalow. [I was like] ‘Good to see you [Charlie]. What are you doing here? You don’t look like an Italian guy from Jersey.’ […] Robert Downey Jr. also did the workshop of the part I did in The Outsiders. So I was doing pretty good with Downey Jr. at that point, and then it just, like Iron Man, it took off.”
It is hard to imagine Daniel LaRusso played by any other actor. Macchio also shared great on-screen chemistry with Pat Morita, who played LaRusso’s mentor Mr. Miyagi.
Before The Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio Also Beat Robert Downey Jr. For Another Role
As Ralph Macchio disclosed to Jimmy Fallon, Robert Downey Jr. also auditioned for the 1983 teen crime drama, The Outsiders. Macchio eventually secured the role of Johnny Cade in the Francis Ford Coppola film, earning critical acclaim for his performance. The Outsiders also starred C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, and Tom Cruise, among others.
According to Macchio, Coppola made all the actors read for different roles, and it remains unclear which roles in the movie Downey Jr. auditioned for. The Spider-Man: Homecoming actor had to wait a little longer to get his breakthrough in the industry. However, his fame was short-lived as the Sherlock Holmes actor faced multiple arrests on drug charges, a habit instigated by his drug-addicted father.
However, the Chaplin actor managed to break free from his addiction and return even stronger with successful movies, especially within the MCU. Recently, Downey Jr. also proved his acting talents in the Christopher Nolan biopic, Oppenheimer, playing the real-life character, Lewis Strauss.
Ralph Macchio’s Karate Kid franchise is available for streaming on Netflix. The Outsiders is available for streaming on Max.
Source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – YouTube
