Iron Man’s departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have come amid a jaw-dropping moment of heroism, but the same can’t be said for Robert Downey Jr.’s character in “Ally McBeal,” who was unceremoniously written out of his own wedding.
Downey Jr. was introduced in the fourth season of “Ally McBeal” as Larry Paul, Ally’s (Calista Flockheart) new colleague and love interest. But Downey Jr. was fired from Fox’s legal comedy-drama after he was arrested in Culver City in April 2001 and pleaded guilty to cocaine possession. Creator David E. Kelley had to completely overhaul the Season 4 finale, in which Ally and Larry were supposed to get married.
“We were ending with the wedding and season five was arced out as their married life,” Kelley told The Hollywood Reporter. “All that was thrown to the side when Robert had to take his leave. … He’d been so good; he left a huge void, and there was a concern that we’d never rise to the same level again. But these things happen, and there was a lot of rewriting that always went on with ‘Ally’ anyway.”
Robert Downey Jr. said his addiction was at its worst on Ally McBeal
Robert Downey Jr. joined “Ally McBeal” just one week after his release from prison in August 2000, having served a year in Corcoran State Prison in California for missing court-mandated drug tests. He was fired eight months later.
Exiting the show marked the turning point for Downey Jr., ultimately putting him on the road to recovery. In 2003, he spoke to The Guardian about the severity of his addiction while filming “Ally McBeal.” “Funny isn’t it?” he said. “For some people, that’s the litmus. Will he ever be as good again as he was on ‘Ally McBeal?’ You put a Hugo Boss suit on a guy, clean him up a little, feed him his lines and he manages to perform like he isn’t a drooling goo-goo. ‘Wow! He’s fantastic!'”
He added: “I’m probably not the best person to ask about that period. It was my lowest point in terms of addictions. At that stage, I didn’t give a f*** whether I ever acted again.”
