Prior to 2008, nobody would have ever guessed that Robert Downey Jr. would be turned into an action star. Standing only 5'8" and possessing a skinny frame, Downey Jr. lacked the giant muscles and height that most major action stars possess. Still, the star was brilliant in his turn as a Marvel superhero in both Iron Man and Iron Man 2 (though, to be fair, the suit does most of the heavy lifting in those movies) so nobody really seemed to notice. I'd say that will probably continue in Iron Man 3, but there's also the possibility that RDJ might be getting a bit of a height boost.
Sources at US Weekly (via The New York Post) say that Robert Downey Jr. might be getting a specially-designed pair of insoles for his next turn as Iron Man following The Avengers. Said the source, who goes unnamed, "They're working on a special pair just for him," a source said. "The lift insole needs to be concealed in a high top shoe or boot. The highest that's offered the general public is 2 inches." Whether that means Downey Jr. will be going for more than two inches is unclear. Interestingly, the actor recently told Men's Fitness magazine that he never expected to be cast in an action movie due to his frame, saying, "I guess I had some notion about it," he said. "I’ve always really enjoyed that genre, but I mean, it’s pretty outlandish. I’m not particularly tall or strong or fast or aggressive. Yet, I’m not faking it. To me, it’s a cosmic chuckle."
I really hope that this story turns out to be untrue. The star's height didn't matter in the first two solo films, so there's no reason for it to be necessary in the third movie (unless Shane Black has something very interesting in store for us). Using lifts would simply be an act of vanity, and I hold Robert Downey Jr. to a higher level then that. Allow me to close out with this fact: Jason Statham, one of the biggest action stars in the world, is only 5'9".
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