"Iron Man" Robert Downey Jr. (Photo : Reuters)
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" actor Robert Downey Jr. was slammed by netizens after he made a comment deemed to be racist towards the Academy award winner Mexican director Alejando Iñárritu.
Downey Jr. was interviewed by The Guardian as part of a promotional press tour for the upcoming movie and the actor was asked about what he thought regarding Iñárritu's comments in October 2014.
Iñárritu shared during that time that superhero films are a cultural genocide and that the mentality of these kinds of films is that rich people and those who have power are those who will do good. The director went on saying that philosophically, he does not like superhero-themed movies.
Downey Jr. was not aware of Iñárritu's comments but the interviewer told him about the remarks made by the director. The actor then said that he respects Iñárritu as he did not think that a man whose native tongue is Spanish could put together the phrase "cultural genocide." Because of that, Downey Jr. thinks that such ability of Iñárritu proves that he is indeed bright.
The actor, who portrays the role of Tony Stark and Iron Man in the said movie, was then bashed on social networking sites after he made the comment. People dubbed the actor as ignorant and lots of fans of Downey Jr. expressed their disappointment and dismay.
Downey Jr. was also asked about what he thought of the film "Birdman," which was directed by Iñárritu, and he shared that it is a great movie except for the parts when he was bashed in the said film.
This is not the first time that Iñárritu's fans thought that he was a victim of racism as actor Sean Penn told a racist joke during the 87th annual Academy Awards earlier this year. When Penn introduced "Birdman" and Iñárritu for Best Picture, the actor asked who gave the director a green card.
Many Latinos found the racist joke disrespectful and unnecessary although Iñárritu noted that he and Penn are great friends, Latin Times reported.
Iñárritu has not yet commented on the remarks made by Downey Jr.
