Danny McBride Eavesdropped on Robert Downey Jr. on TROPIC THUNDER Set, Says RDJ Stayed in Character Even to Pee

Danny McBride is known for his comedic roles in films like Pineapple Express and This Is the End, and TV series like Eastbound & Down and The Righteous Gemstones. One of his biggest hit films was the 2008 comedy, Tropic Thunder, from director Ben Stiller.

While the movie has caught some heat over the years for its use of blackface by the character Kirk Lazarus, played by Robert Downey Jr., Stiller and his co-stars on the film have repeatedly defended it, reminding viewers that it was meant to jab at the character, and we were supposed to be in on the joke.

Someone had to have gotten it, as Downey was nominated for an unprecedented Oscar that year for the comedic role.

McBride can attest to the level of commitment his co-star put into the part, as he had a peek behind the curtain of Downey’s methodic acting. In a recent interview with GQ (via CinemaBlend), McBride explained a time he was on set of Tropic Thunder, and he inadvertently eavesdropped on his co-star.

He said: “I remember I had an earwig in when I was sitting up that tower. Cause if they had a cell, any direction or anything to me so I could know what’s going on. And I guess during one of the takes they had left Downey’s mic on.”

McBride continued: “And so I’m sitting there I’m like ‘Oh shit I can hear what he’s saying.’ And he’s talking to people, and he was in character the whole time. And then I even watched him walk back to his trailer and saw it from down there. And he was talking to himself. ‘I’m going to go drain the snake, I’m gonna drain the snake.’ He made up a song about how he was going to go piss in character.”

Now, that’s commitment. RDJ always puts everything into the characters he portrays, and it was about time that he won an Academy Award, which he did this year for his supporting role in Oppenheimer.