“…and the funny thing was - seconds and inches, dude - I swear to God, we woke up this morning, and again she was the hottest fuckin’ chick I ever saw. It was just like the first time I took her hand in the cigar bar in Montreal, ‘cuz she had a headache and I had to get my hands on her anyway…” "I'm married to a great woman, she gets to be my boss and we get to raise our baby together. That's the true center of my universe" "There's no understanding for me of the bigger picture in real time in a hands-on way without her. Because it was the perfect, perfect, perfect matching of personalities and gifts." "I can't ever imagine a life before her. I've certainly come to believe that Mrs. Downey and I together are definitely better than me alone or me and anybody else." "There's something about her that is so pure and...right, but then there's the other stuff too, the shadowy side of her that is delightful and that she shows only to me." "I get bored really easily. I get bored with people really easily. I get bored with routine easily. I don’t like things that are average, or normal. I care if I have the best – in the world about that - just wanting that great light that everybody looks at and goes ‘Ahhh’. I feel like that’s what I’ve found in my partner." “I have so much respect for her. My wife is an extraordinary person. Of course there may be times when we fight but they’re not nearly as important, and then I show her how much she means to me” "she has inspired me to stay sober and drug-free ... she is my soul mate and my anchor." "Whatever I was hungry for when I met Susan, I couldn't have known how much more satisfying what I got would be." "But first and foremost, there was that look in Susan Downey's eyes - just like, "Wow." It's so rare that this happens, that if you don't have someone to share it with when it does, it would be awful. Just appreciating that we have each other." "She will be Mrs Downey for the rest of her days on earth if I have anything to say about it, my wedding ring means everything to me. I had it inscribed with the Latin for 'Until the wheels fall off' and I mean that." "For whatever reason, when we came together, there was a sense of hope and excitement and possibility. If there was no Hollywood, no next movie, no deal at Warner Brothers, no place in Malibu or Venice, I would still be really happy." "Things started to change when I met my life partner, Mrs. Downey. She told me, ‘I’m not doing that drug dance with you. I’m drawing a line in the sand here.’ She was absolutely clear about it. That doesn’t mean that other women, business associates, movie directors, insurance companies, judges and law enforcement hadn’t been clear about it too. It was that, before I met Mrs. Downey, I just didn’t give a goddamn. What changed is that I cared.” "I didn't care about having a family or making a home. I didn't think about kids. It's not that I didn't want those things, I just didn't think about them. And then I had someone who came in as a tornado, this creative, beautiful ball of insane energy and passion. And it completely opened me up." "They’ve been married since 2005, though he flirts with her like they’re just dating - and picks on her like they’re in grade school." “She is the font of all good things.” “What can I even say about her? I’m crazy about her. Everybody’s opinion isn’t right all the time, but as far as averages go, if she wants to, she could hit to the same seat in the bleachers over and over and over again. That sort of consistency is awe-inspiring. We give each other the freedom to explore who and what we really are, which is great, because we’re always changing. I know I’ve changed a fair amount over the last decade, but she’s changed 10 times more than I have.”
Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr. attend the premiere of Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” at Dolby Theatre on April 12, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
“To Whom It May Concern/To the Honorable Judge Brandlin:
My reason for asking that I be granted a Certificate of Rehabilitation is twofold, prompted in part by the extremely fortunate position I have found myself in since 2004, when I fully accepted responsibility for my addiction.
First, it is to spare my family the unfavorable conditions a father and husband convicted of felony charges often (and sometimes rightly) faces.
Second, I can now say without reservation that I am rehabilitated from my previous condition, that of a practicing addict.
I owe this all in large part to the 12-Step Recovery Programs to which I have remained committed, and the men and women whose example of loving service has inspired me to remain clean and help others.
In hindsight, I am also grateful to Judge Lawrence J Mira (retired) who, having told me in no uncertain terms that if I violated any of the terms of probation set in 1996, I would be incarcerated.
When I relapsed, I was given the upper term, and served 16 months at Corcoran State Correctional Facility from 1998 to 2000.
Eventually, with the guidance of the Department of Parole, and a host of other professionals in tandem with my family, spouse, and peers, I was blessed to undergo a deep personal shift away from the diseased condition that had plagued me for years, cost me my freedom, and prevented the simple and profound privilege of being a productive member of society.
Having worked in the entertainment industry for four decades, I was finally able to achieve a measure of success, and attempt a living amends for any wreckage I may have caused in the past.
I do not consider myself a “role model”, but I sincerely believe the limitations imposed by my past digressions are not in line with the way I have conducted myself in this second life.
Provided I continue to dedicate myself as fully to remaining drug free as I have thus far, I am confident that this court, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and the State of California, where I’ve resided for the better part of 35 years, would not regret it should I be granted the Certificate of Rehabilitation.
I do not feel I am entitled to anything that I have not earned, but deeply appreciate the possibility of my case being considered.”
— Robert Downey Jr., in a letter dated September 2, 2015 to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County.
It ultimately helped in his receiving a pardon from the state of California for his 1996 felony drug conviction, for which he served 16 months in prison.
AN EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR RDJ: Robert Downey Jr. is among the 91 people who are receiving a Christmas Eve pardon from the Governor of California.
An annual tradition, those receiving a pardon from the governor are granted clemency for past crimes, most of them non-violent and/or minor drug offenses that are no longer felonies under California law.
RDJ was arrested multiple times for drug offenses (especially in 1996) and was sentenced to prison in 1999. He cumulatively served two years and eight months in the penitentiary.
The pardon reads: “By completion of his sentence and good conduct in the community of his residence since his release, Robert John Downey, Jr. has paid his debt to society and earned a full and unconditional pardon.”
Pictured above: (1) RDJ in a courtroom after a third arrest in July 1996, (2) RDJ’s pardon from the governor.
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