After Robert Downey Jr. gave over a decade to the role of Iron Man, audiences had to say their goodbyes to the MCU character this past summer in Avengers: Endgame. But thankfully, the actor’s career is alive and well, and he’s ready to take on another well-known character at the start of 2020. Downey is the star of Dolittle, alongside an impressive voice cast tackling the exotic animals he can talk to.
In anticipation for the release of Dolittle, Robert Downey Jr. is warming up his animal co-stars with some fun auditions featuring lines from famous movies, ranging from Despicable Me to Scarface. Check it out:
Well, this is adorable! Robert Downey Jr. brought his signature charm to this clip from Universal Pictures to introduce audiences to the creatures joining Dr. John Dolittle as he takes a voyage on a ship to find the cure to an illness the Queen of England has been afflicted with. But for these “auditions,” Downey is being 100% Downey and allowing these CGI animals to shine in their own right.
The auditions begin with Octavia Spencer’s duck character, Dab-Dab. She just can’t get the Jaws line right, hinting at Dab-Dab’s enthusiastic, but kooky personality. The majestic parrot rehearsing Fast & Furious lines is Emma Thompson playing Polynesia, who will be Dr. Dolittle’s most trusted advisor and confidant in the film. Hilariously enough, it’s this year’s Best Actor winner, Rami Malek, behind a gorilla named Che-Che delivering a famous line from Despicable Me!
But the highlight of the clip comes in the form of Craig Robinson’s squirrel named Kevin and his adorable little mouse buddy. He’s given Al Pacino’s iconic Scarface line, but Robert Downey Jr. gives him some notes: he’s not threatening enough. So Kevin grabs the mouse as his gun as he says “Say hello to my little friend!”
But Craig Robinson’s Kevin goes a little too into character, throwing in bleeped out f-bombs before Robert Downey Jr. has to cut him off and remind him Dolittle is a family movie! All and all, the clip is a smart marketing move for the upcoming release that previously dealt with reshoots and some bad buzz.
We have Robert Downey Jr with cute animals, so what’s not to love? If only Tom Holland’s glasses-wearing dog character of Jip had made an appearance to auditions. Maybe give him a Marvel line? That would have been perfect! Dolittle also stars John Cena as Yoshi the polar bear, Kumail Nanjiani as Plimpton the ostrich, Selena Gomez as Betsy the giraffe and Marion Cotillard as Tutu the fox.