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Updated Oct 1, 2026 · 01:04
Hollywood News Updated Oct 1, 2026

Robert Downey Jr. Recalls Breaking Ankle On Iron Man 3 Set

Robert Downey Jr. has opened up about breaking his ankle while filming Iron Man 3 back in 2012. Speaking with author Ayad Akhtar, he recalled landing wrong during a wire jump and briefly blacking out from the pain. He joked that the resulting delay lasted much longer than the six weeks he told the crew.

Robert Downey Jr. blacked out from pain after breaking his ankle while filming 'Iron Man 3'

Los Angeles, Oct 1

Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr. had an excruciating experience while filming 'Iron Man 3'. The actor recently reflected on the time he broke his ankle while shooting for the film.

The actor, 61, recently sat down for a chat with the author Ayad Akhtar about Akhtar's new novel, 'The Radiance'. During the event, the actor spoke about his on-set injury in 2012 after Akhtar, 55, asked him about the moments in life that bring "unexpected joy or pleasure on the other side of an experience that you think would not be a good experience".

Responding to the same, the actor said, "I'll build on that because I remember I was once doing a wire jump, and I landed wrong and I just shattered my ankle. In the moment that it happened, all these realizations occurred where I realized, 'Oh my God, this rest of the shoot just got really different.' I thought not only about the ramifications, but the pain was so great that after a few seconds I kind of blacked out from it".

"Then I remember saying to the crew once I could finally speak, because usually they'll say, 'That's lunch, one half hour,' I said, 'That's lunch, roughly six weeks'", he added.

When Akhtar asked if the ensuing delay wound up costing the production six weeks, the actor said, "No, it was much longer. I am a delicate flower".

'Iron Man 3' was the third solo movie in which he portrayed the title character during his run as Tony Stark. The movie was also his first appearance in the franchise after 2012's 'The Avengers', which shot the superhero movies into the space of mega-blockbusters.

— IANS

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