Robert Downey Jr. has revealed that he initially turned down his Oscar-nominated role in Tropic Thunder because he feared he would be "crucified" for portraying a black man on screen.

The white Iron Man star has received the Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor who undergoes an operation to darken his skin in order to play an African-American character.

However, the actor has revealed that he came close to turning down the part offered to him by director/co-star Ben Stiller, fearing the film would cause controversy but eventually changing his mind.

"My reaction was, like, find someone else who needs to take some big ass risk and get crucified for it," the Daily Express quoted him, as telling British TV show This Morning.

He added: "But then I thought there really is a way if people understand the concept of the movie - to make it entertaining and not make it stupid or offensive. Did I nail it or am I in trouble?"

It's been recently announced that Robert Downey Jr. and his family might be looking for a new home. Until now their have been no definitive plans but according to source MSNBC he might have now found what he's looking for in the Mailbu home of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, which was reveled to be soon put on the market by Brad himself during an Oscar round table. Au Revior Jolie-Pitts? Bonjour RDJ?

SL: Is it a coincidence that you've often played a journalist (Zodiac, Natural Born Killers, Good Night, and Good Luck), or is there something about the profession that appeals to your artistic curiosity?

RDJ: Actors and journalists are similar in that they both essentially provide a service. The ones I've gotten to know a bit, and come to admire over the last 25 years, seem to have a genuine drive to simultaneously tell a story and observe life on life's terms. That gives you a lot to chew on - and also makes them pretty fun to hang out with when you are researching.

SL: You asked if you could look through my closet before filming started, so you could have some piece of me to work with. How do you go construct an original character based on a real person?

RDJ: Well, for Chaplin, the more I attempted to re-create the man, the more frustrating it became, so it was basically nine months of detective work just to get up to speed. At the end, the character I portrayed was still miles away from the icon we adore but close enough to the truth, I guess. Playing (Paul) Avery in Zodiac was much more specific in that he represented a dying breed of sorts, whereas in The Soloist, (director) Joe Wright and I used you as a conduit for the ideas of faith, friendship and honor, so it was much more introspective. I still wanna look through your closet anyway.

SL: You told me that Jack Nicholson is a great actor in part because he's a great writer, meaning that he tinkers with scripts as he fits them to his character. How often do you do the same?

RDJ: Jack is so good that he can even play someone named Jack and still create an aesthetic distance. I'd imagine many of my peers tailor text to suit their own rhythms or instincts. I do it as often as allowed; it's a way to participate directly in how the scenes come across and either punch up similarities or differences from one's self, I guess.

SL: When I told you about a loved one who struggles with an addiction problem, you said the secret of recovery is to "find your ambition." What did you mean by that?

RDJ: Simply that there's a Catch-22 there. You can't find something that you're clouding, you can't cloud something you're trying to find. Once I stopped anesthetizing myself, I realized how much more I could accomplish. Before, it was just a dream.

SL: Many of the characters in The Soloist actually have some form of mental illness and live on skid row. What did you learn about them or about yourself?

RDJ: I relearned a pretty basic lesson that status and dignity frequently don't go hand in hand.

The Iron Man actor enjoys seeing what people have written about him on the internet, even if the comments are negative.

When asked if he ever Googled himself, Robert replied: "Oh, I love all that shit, personally. Sorry. I just love it. Because it's a hoot. Some people overstate their support, like they know you.

"Other people are busy doing something else and just want to go on this chat site and say some despicable character assassination, and sometimes they absolutely nail it! I do have that shortcoming. But it's really fun."

What does it say about racial politics in America that two days after the first African American president is inaugurated, Robert Downey Jr. is nominated for a supporting actor Oscar for essentially playing a part in blackface?

Of course, the role in "Tropic Thunder" is comedic, a politically incorrect spoof on Method acting run amok. Downey plays an Australian actor so committed to the truth that he has his skin medically darkened so he can portray an African American commando.

"It's about time narcissistic, accolade-seeking idiotic actors were formally recognized," Downey deadpans about his nomination, speaking from the Brooklyn, N.Y., set of "Sherlock Holmes." "It's been a long, hard road for us."

Still, he admits, even he did a double take Tuesday when he saw his name among the nominations "and then Sgt. Lincoln Osiris's face," Downey says of the part within a part.

"It was odd," he adds. "I had such trepidation fully trusting [the character] could be represented well enough that it wouldn't be troublesome. That people would get joke. We were always on some level wondering if people will misunderstand our intention. I feel this award is one for the team. We worked [hard] to give it the right tone."

Downey, who was nominated previously for the title role in 1992's "Chaplin," says "it would be really self-important to draw comparisons" between his Oscar nomination and Barack Obama's swearing in. "One is hugely significant and the other is a bit of a surprise within the inner sanctum of the entertainment business."

• Josh Brolin in "Milk" (Focus Features)
• Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" (Miramax)
• Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

London, Jan 19 (IANS) Actor Robert Downey Jr. is unhappy with British director Guy Ritchie for making him wear four-inch platforms in his shoes for the Sherlock Holmes movie. According to thesun.co.uk, Ritchie made him wear the heels for every scene with co-star Jude Law because he thought the duo of Watson and Holmes would have been the same height.

A source said: "Rob is stumbling around a lot and cursing Guy over the silly shoes."

Sherlock Holmes has left Manchester, England and we caught up with Jude Law on the set in Brooklyn, New York. The 36-year-old actor, who plays Watson, had just filmed a fight scene that left him with a bloody ear.

The film, directed by Guy Ritchie also stars Robert Downey Jr. as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock" and Rachel McAdams as "Irene Adams."

It's elementary, my dear reader, that Robert Downey Jr. should get his shot at playing Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. The chameleonlike iron man continues to improve on what was already a good thing, crafting richer, deeper characterizations even with comic-book creations such as "Iron Man" and tour-de-farces like the faux-black actor in "Tropic Thunder."

Give me more.

It's a joy to watch a performer at the top of his game, and in the case of "Sherlock Holmes," it's the chance to see an icon playing an icon.

But rather than crafting the violin-playing, cocaine-injecting Baker Street sleuth as the stiff-upper Brit familiar from previous Holmes films, Downey told TV's "Entertainment Tonight" he will deliver an "adventurous and less formal" version of the brainy detective, involving him in "intense fight scenes" as well. (Reportedly, Downey's already suffered a "minor injury" in one, then received a few stitches and went back to the shoot.)

Guy Ritchie directs sparkly Rachel McAdams ("The Notebook," "Wedding Crashers") as Holmes' love interest, Irene Adler; and, in an interesting bit of casting, Jude Law as Dr. Watson.

Not unexpectedly, the story involves a plot to destroy England. Unexpectedly, the film may turn out to be a swashbuckler.

Details: Tentative release date is Nov. 30, from Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow Pictures. Reportedly based on Lionel Wigram's upcoming comic book "Sherlock Holmes."