Robert Downey Jr's drug movies

Robert Downey Jr. would need a "tuna melt" in order to film movies when he was high on drugs.

The 'Iron Man 2' actor - who had several stints in rehab to treat his narcotics addiction - between 1996 and 2001 - admitted he tried his best to hide his problem and carried on working even after taking vast amounts cocaine and heroin.

He said: "It used to be that you could throw me out of the back of a party van on to the set, give me a tuna melt, and I could function."

The 45-year-old star - who was arrested in 1996 after a two-day cocaine binge - also opened up about how "wrecked" he was at the time.

He recalled to Rolling Stone magazine: "It's about noon. I'm feeling ready to go back home to Malibu. I had to be careful with the car. There's a firearm in it. I'm wrecked. I see this cop who pulls me over, and it was many felonies."

Downey - who is married to producer Susan Levin - was recently praised for the way he has fought back from addiction to transform his career by 'Iron Man 2' co-star Mickey Rourke.

Mickey said: "I'm so happy with what's happening with him because usually if you have problems with drugs you end up like a garbage can. I can't think of many people who have made it back like he did, because he didn't have a little drug problem, he had a big drug problem."

The Soloist

Journalist Steve Lopez discovers Nathaniel Anthony Ayers , a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man find his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives.

Also Known As: Imagining Beethoven

Production Status: In Production/Awaiting Release

Genres: Drama, Musical/Performing Arts, Adaptation and Biopic

Running Time: 1 hr. 45 min.

Release Date: April 24th, 2009 (wide)

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug use and language.

Distributors: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks

Production Co.: Krasnoff Foster Entertainment, Working Title Films, Participant Media

Studios: DreamWorks

Filming Locations: Los Angeles, California USA
Cleveland, Ohio USA

Produced in: United States

Hathaway,Cruz and other celebs arrive at nominees luncheon for 81st Oscars

Actor Robert Downey Jr (R), nominated for best supporting actor for his role in "Tropic Thunder", arrives with his wife Susan Levin at the nominees luncheon for the 81st annual Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California February 2, 2009.

Actor Sean Penn, nominated for best actor for his role in "Milk", arrives at the nominees luncheon for the 81st annual Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California February 2, 2009.

Oscar nominees be warned: Surprises lay ahead

U.S. actor Robert Downey Jr. attends a photocall for the film "Sherlock Holmes" in central London Oct. 1, 2008.

Downey found irony in his supporting-actor nomination for "Tropic Thunder," in which he's cast as an obsessed actor who undergoes a medical procedure to darken his skin to play a black soldier.

"The funny thing is, I was playing an Oscar-crazed weirdo whose every motivation was somehow geared toward accolades," Downey said.

Downey is back on top in Hollywood after years of substance-abuse problems. Another Hollywood reclamation project, Mickey Rourke, has a best-actor nomination for "The Wrestler," playing a former ring star with a fresh shot at glory.

The story mirrors the real life of Rourke, who squandered his early promise with bad behavior off-screen.

Actor Mickey Rourke, star of the film "The Wrestler", poses at the film's Los Angeles premiere in Beverly Hills, California Dec. 16, 2008.

"I was out of work for about 14 years," Rourke said, adding that his biggest surprise this awards season was "the fact that so many years went by and I got a second chance."

Penelope Cruz — earning her second Oscar nomination, this one for supporting actress as a volatile artist in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" — said winning would be great, but she simply wants to cherish the whole Oscar ride.