“Natural Born Killers” is already a notoriously wild film with its satirical murder spree set off by a twisted romance, but apparently Robert Downey Jr. pissed off director Oliver Stone with his efforts to make the project even more unhinged.
While speaking with Esquire in honor of the crime film’s 30th anniversary, Stone recalled how the Marvel icon annoyed him with one particularly “dumb” and lewd improvisation.
“Oh come on — that’s too much! You’re going too far, Robert,” Stone said of how he reacted to Downey dipping the front tails of his white shirt in fake blood and pulling them through his pants zipper like a mock bloody penis.
Downey’s bit was seemingly a reference to the controversial Lorena Bobbitt case in 1993, in which she severed her husband’s penis after alleging he had raped her. The scandal occurred during the film’s production.
“You’re ruining my movie! Forget the dumb dick idea. This isn’t … this isn’t some slapstick bullshit,” Stone added as the future “Iron Man” star imitated a bloody member.
Downey then backpedaled by pulling his shirt back through the zipper, prompting Stone to suddenly change his mind about the gag.
“Wait, wait — wait a second. Let me see the dick thing again,” Stone told him.
The director revealed that he then instructed him to “pull it back a half inch.”
Downey reached into his pants and yanked the front tail back in a smidge, earning Stone’s approval. Downey’s bit ultimately made it into the film.
Written by Quentin Tarantino, 1994’s “Natural Born Killers” follows Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson as a couple who go on an interstate murder spree. The pair become tabloid stars thanks to shiesty Australian TV journalist Wayne Gale (played by Downey).
Downey opened up to Esquire about battling addiction during the film’s production, telling the outlet that “the only time I was awake was between Action and Cut.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Stone revealed that Downey wasn’t the only one who dabbled in recreational drug use on set.
“I have to say, it was a zoo in the sense the actors were all on different kind of trips,” he explained. “I think Woody was the most sane.”
Harrelson confirmed Stone’s claims, joking that he was the “Mother Teresa” of the crew.
“Oliver reassured me of this: I don’t want to say I was the moral center on this movie, but I was the one doing the least amount of drugs!” he explained. “It’s never happened in my career or my life. And no one’s ever done more drugs than me, but I was Mother Teresa on this one.”