At the time, Boyega’s talent agency, CAA, also represented “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr., who is no stranger to this sort of fame. So he sent an email to Downey’s agent saying, essentially, “Hi, I’m John. I’m going to be in ‘Star Wars.’ If he has time, can Robert Downey Jr. mentor me?”
He wasn’t exactly sure that it would result in anything, but figured it was worth a shot. Later, Boyega remembers he was driving in London when he got a call from an unknown number.
“Who’s this?” Boyega demanded.
“It’s Robert,” the voice said.
“Robert who, man?”
“Uh, Robert, Downey Jr.”
“I’m like, oh crap! Iron Man!” Boyega recalled. “I had better park up.”
They talked for two hours that day. It was the start of a true friendship that’s since resulted in more hours-long chats, hang-outs, and even a chicken and waffles date.
“Good lord we get deep,” Boyega said of their conversations. “For the most part it’s definitely private, but in general, his thing has always been inner peace and how to deal with this on a mental level. Taking care of your mental health is something that he talks to me about.”
“He’s really changed my life with his advice.”
I was just looking at these stunning pictures of Robert Downey, Jr. and had a sudden, stomach dropping moment of self-pity and jealousy. So, what, most of his thirties were lost years, filled with drugs and arrests and other mistakes and, one assumes, a good deal of emotional pain. And now, at 50, he’s on top of the world.
Anyway, it occurred to me that women don’t have this opportunity. To make mistakes early and then have a mid-life comeback. Because women, at 50, are old. Especially in an acting career. I often think about the disappearance of Kathleen Turner, a good example of how women are swept under the carpet to hide their ugly aging features after 30. There will be no coming back and people saying, Oh, her crows-feet are so sexy, love the grey in her hair, so distinguished, omg, check out the veins in her hands, unf. So women sure as shit better have their acts together and make the most of the twenty years they get, and those years are SEQUENTIAL, and there aren’t other options.
It’s so fucking unfair.
