Oscars 2024: 'Oppenheimer's Robert Downey Jr. wins Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr. has clinched the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan-directed, Oppenheimer, at the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. This is Downey Jr.'s first Oscar victory, after previous nominations for Best Actor in 1993's Chaplin and Best Supporting Actor in 2008's Tropic Thunder. The actor was a frontrunner for the award, having already bagged major best-supporting honors, such as the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild awards.
Downey Jr. revealed that the character transformed him
In his speech, Downey Jr. admitted that he "needed this job more than it needed me." He shared that playing Strauss transformed him into a better person. He thanked his "terrible childhood and the Academy," and his "veterinarian... sorry... wife, Susan Downey." He praised her for rescuing him like a "snarling refuge pet" and loving him back to life. The other nominees included Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon), Ryan Gosling (Barbie), and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things).