"He was talking to himself": Danny McBride recalls Robert Downey Jr. hilariously refusing to break character in Tropic Thunder set

Danny McBride spoke to GQ Magazine on April 3, 2024, recalling several experiences in his career, including the early days when he stepped into the industry. McBride played an important role in the 2008 action comedy Tropic Thunder, which also included Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus among the lead cast members.

During the interview, Danny McBride talked about an incident involving the Iron Man star while Tropic Thunder was in the making process. Danny said that he was in touch with Downey Jr. through an ear device and in between all that, the latter went to use the restroom.

However, Downey Jr.'s mic was on and Danny could hear everything that was going on. Danny further elaborated and stated:

"He was 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."

McBride was seen as Cody Underwood in the film, who knew about explosives. Tropic Thunder was one of the most successful films at the time, grossing more than $150 million at the box office.

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Danny McBride recalls working on Pineapple Express

Danny McBride also spoke to GQ about another action comedy film released the same year, Pineapple Express. While the producers have not confirmed a sequel, McBride stated that he would love to be a part of it.

"That was a lot of fun, but I don't know. It feels like maybe the time has passed, we'll see," he said as he recalled his time working on the film.

The Georgia native spoke about the injuries he had to endure at the time of filming Pineapple Express along with his costars Seth Rogen and James Franco. He said that Franco used a bandana throughout the film because he "split his forehead open" and Rogen was injured in his hand or finger.

"When I get hit with the bong in the back of the head, that definitely split open my skull. I had a concussion and filmed for the rest of the day and knew all my lines still, even with my head split open."

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The 47-year-old will return as Jesse Gemstone in the upcoming season of The Righteous Gemstones. He also served as the writer and executive producer of The Exorcist: Believer, marking another collaboration with David Gordon Green.