Bloated as they may be, Iron Man revenues are apparently still outpaced by the swelling ego of the film's star, the hard-bitten Robert Downey Jr. Or maybe the late-blooming blockbuster hero has just lost his tolerance for press junkets. Either way, reporters are all abuzz over his recent red carpet meltdown. Downey, 43, seemed generally fed up with questions and went on a tirade to one reporter who dared ask him his thoughts on the Iraq war (There are several references to the fighting in the comic book flick, and Downey's Tony Stark character is a defense contractor).
"Downey went crazy. He jumped up and started screaming 'Fuck you!' over and over at the poor journalist" at the film's New York screening, an eyewitness tells Radar. "He started telling him that he'd only taken this movie 'for the big paycheck' and that he should 'shut the fuck up and let me have my blockbuster.'"
Downey's publicist didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.