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Fail Better with David Duchovny

Fail Again: The Family Business with Robert Downey Jr.

Fail Better with David Duchovny

Grace Cohen-Chen

Society & Culture

4.6534 Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2026

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode originally aired July 22, 2025 The spotlight has certainly taken its toll on Robert Downey Jr. over the years. But much like his beloved MCU character Tony Stark, there's an undeniably powerful force inside Robert that keeps him pushing forward. When we sat down over iced coffees, we found ourselves unpacking the fraught relationship Robert had with his father — the experimental, countercultural filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. — whose unconventional lifestyle created lasting ripples throughout the family. Their shared documentary, “Sr.”, stands as a powerful testament to the healing they found. Plus, we talk about sobriety, the belief it took to become Iron Man, and the full-circle moments spanning the decades since we first crossed paths on the set of Chaplin. Follow me on Instagram at @davidduchovny. Find more video podcasts on our YouTube channel. Stay up to date with Lemonada on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi, it's Julia Louis Dreyfus here, and I can't wait for you to hear our new episode of Wiser

0:09.5

than Me with Cindy Lopper on Amazon Music.

0:12.9

Cindy may be a girl who just wants to have fun, but for 40 years she has brought playfulness

0:18.2

and a dash of punk to some serious activism. We talk about her lifelong

0:23.4

LGBTQ plus advocacy, her astonishing music career, and pick up a whole lot of wisdom along the way.

0:31.0

Listen now only on Amazon Music, included with Prime.

0:43.5

Hey, just a quick message before we get started.

0:49.8

You can now listen to every episode of Fail Better AdFree with Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.

0:55.6

You'll also get ad-free access to an exclusive bonus content from shows like Wiser than me with Julia Louis Dreyfus, the Sarah Silverman podcast, and so many more.

1:00.9

It's just $5.99 a month and a great way to support the work we do.

1:05.5

Go ad-free and get bonus content when you hit subscribe on this show in Apple Podcasts. Make life suck less,

1:13.6

with fewer ads with Lemonada Premium.

1:23.9

I'm David Dukovny, and this is Fail Better, a show where failure, not success, shapes who we are.

1:30.8

Robert Downey Jr. is one of Hollywood's most beloved and versatile actors, whose influence extends far beyond his movie roles.

1:37.3

He made his on-screen debut at the age of five in the film Pound, written and directed by his father.

1:43.5

He's since appeared in over 70 films from his unforgettable portrayal of Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

1:50.1

to his powerful performances in films like Chaplin that I was in at Oppenheimer.

1:55.9

Robert has grown to be one of the highest grossing actors of all time.

1:59.6

But his story is about more than just fame.

2:02.3

It's about resilience, reinvention, and finding redemption. We talk about recovery and why it's

2:08.2

important for him to help others within the industry. We also spent some time exploring the

2:12.7

documentary he made about his dad called Senior, and the impact that's had on his healing journey.

...

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