Really, his words speak for themselves. I love this guy.
Step 1: Have fun on set. Or try to, at least.
“Uh, what was fun? I could say it was fun when Tony was just hanging out in the doughnut hole, but the truth be told is, I was wearing that [Iron Man] cumbersome suit, and I was not really properly rooted to the spot I was on. So really what I was thinking about while I was looking relaxed and cool and eating a doughnut was, ‘Jesus Christ please, if I move my ankle one inch I’m going to slide off this thing.’ I’m not really afraid of heights, but I’m wearing this stuff, and I won’t be able to break my fall, so I was kind of troubleshooting. Not in a neurotic way, I was just going, ‘Jesus, this is not really fun at all.’”
Step 2: Then find out what makes him mad
“Miscommunication. And, uh ,people being put in positions of influence who don’t know what they’re doing at all! It annoys me, it unnerves me. Really here’s what makes me mad, what pisses me off are the things that put me in fear. So I need to manage my fear, first and foremost. That way, if you were to get me mad, right, like I have no conspiracy theory cell in my body that’s activated, because the truth is, conspiracies aren’t the problem. Capitalism is the problem. Capitalism is what it is and we’re just hacking away at this three billion ton block of granite with like, little spoons, like we’ve always been doing so what am I gonna, there’s nothing to worry about really.”
Step 3: Then define his father/son dynamic
“I don’t think Tony blames his father for anything. I think he feels that the perception of his father does not match up with his emotional experience of his father, so uh it’s pretty different. It’s not one of those things where he’s saying, ‘My problems are because I’m in my dad’s shadow.’ I think what he’s saying is ‘I’m old enough to know that the story doesn’t jive with my experience, and my experience was that I didn’t think he thought all that much of me.’ As far as parenting goes, I mean isn’t that the way it is, you know? No matter what kind of experience any of us had, our parents were doing the best they could do. And then there are always social constraints and then there’s always generational constraints. To me, when looked at in that light, it actually has so much emotional resonance because I can start having empathy for people, you know? When you have a mom and a dad and then you have kids, oh my God, it’s just crazy.”
Step 4: Tell us what you do at home
A: “I’m rarely clothed, I’m riding horses bareback. No, not really. You know what? This is how it goes: This is a nice colored towel, but it doesn’t really match the paint. Oh that’s right because these towels are from the last house. You know what, don’t worry about it, don’t worry about it. Maybe I’ll get some yellow towels. Then I go downstairs and maybe I got a little stereo system, and I start hooking it up, and I go ‘Look, I put all the wires in the right place!’ No one’s looking and they don’t care. But I go, ‘Look what I did! This is great!’ So, I’ve got the speakers and maybe I’ll put some old Steely Dan or some classical music, and I go, ‘What would somebody think, who thinks I’m this hip movie star, and I’m walking around listening to classical music or yes, recently again obsessed with the Renaissance and old like chamber music or acapella music?’ I’m like some old queen like walking around the house.”
Step 5: Explain why superheroes are taking over Hollywood
“Uh well we were just talking about mythology, right? I mean it use to be the Iliad. I just think that things are changing a little bit. I’m kind of fascinated with the way things are going now. Technologically somewhat but also in just this kind of way that people are making movies successful by their own volition more than ever. It’s almost like the people are deciding what way to turn entertainment.
Step 6: Travel the world
“So here’s the thing, I’m a California resident. I’m like Tony Stark you know, I live by the beach. I have a nice spread. I’m a lucky guy, but I realize more and more it’s not just important. It’s crucial I get out and travel more and understand more about other cultures and people and how we’ve all shaped the world together. I have such an incomplete education.”
Step 7: Set up a Due Date
“[The new upcoming comedy] is about my favorite thing I’ve ever done. Largely due to Zack Galifianakis, who is f**king criminally insanely brilliant, and Todd Phillips [The Hangover], who is just one of the great American directors of my memory. Zack doesn’t really improvise, he does whatever he wants, whether he leaves the set or not. For instance, there’s a scene in which he says, ‘You’re acting like a child, Peter.’ and I go, ‘Have you used the bathroom? Cause we’re going to be in the car for awhile.’ He walks around the car and says, ‘That’s where I’m going to pee pee.’ He walks off camera to where a bathroom might be and I say, You can’t use that’ and then Todd says ‘Oh yeah, that’ll be the scene.’ Five other times in the movie during the middle of a scene, if he’s getting mad at me, I just go, ‘Have you used the bathroom yet?’ And he goes you’re right.”
Step 8: Find out what defines him
“If I define myself as everything I wanted and everything I want having to do with my career then, no. I don’t really consider my career the most important thing.”