The Family Business with Robert Downey Jr.

Fail Better with David Duchovny

Grace Cohen-Chen

Society & Culture

4.6 • 534 Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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	It's morning in New York.
0:02.8	Oh, God.
0:06.2	Hey, everybody.
0:07.3	I'm Mandy Patinkin.
0:08.7	And I'm Catherine Grady.
0:09.8	And we have a new podcast.
0:11.7	It's called Don't Listen to Us.
0:14.1	Many of you've asked for our advice.
0:16.1	Tell me, what is wrong with you people?
0:19.2	Don't listen to us.
0:20.3	Our Take It or Leave a Adv device show every Wednesday, out now.
0:24.7	A Lemonada Media Original.
0:29.8	Hey, just a quick message before we get started.
0:32.9	You can now listen to every episode of Fail Better AdFree with Lemonata Premium on Apple Podcasts.
0:39.1	You'll also get ad-free access to and exclusive bonus content from shows like Wiser
0:44.6	than me with Julia Louie Dreyfus, the Sarah Silverman podcast, and so many more.
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1:03.6	with Lemonada Premium.
1:18.9	I'm David Dukovni, and this is Fail Better, a show where failure, not success, shapes who we are.
1:26.4	Robert Downey Jr. is one of Hollywood's most beloved and versatile actors whose influence extends far beyond his movie roles.
1:31.0	He made his on-screen debut at the age of five in the film Pound, written and directed by his father.
	...

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