Downey Jr. received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work on Tropic Thunder but lost to Heath Ledger, who won posthumously for his role as The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.

As explained by People , the 2008 satirical comedy film featured Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus, a White Australian method actor who underwent “pigmentation alteration” surgery to play Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris, a Black character, complete in blackface .

The 2008 satirical film starred Robert Downey Jr. as a Method actor who dons blackface to play a Vietnam War soldier.

Tropic Thunder star and director Ben Stiller has confirmed what many movie fans have long believed: there's no way that the hit 2008 comedy could have

It was more than dicey, to say the very least. The Reality Bites director seems to be coming to terms with the idea that not even the "right storyline" and "angle" can hold up anything that has much deeper weight to it. The honesty of his statement is nice to hear, and I’m glad he is this open about such a controversial piece of his work.

I think that a lot of people are accusing this generation – whatever they mean by “this generation” – of being too woke and too touchy to actually enjoy different works of art that carry content that may be triggering.

Robert Downey Jr.’s Tropic Thunder character is a big reason the film probably couldn’t get made today, according to director, co-writer and star Ben Stiller. “Obviously, in this environment, edgier comedy is just harder to do,