Jodie Foster recalls working with Robert Downey Jr in the '90s during his struggle with drugs, says he had 'talent' but lacked 'discipline'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jodie Foster has reflected on her time back while directing Robert Downey Jr in 1995's 'Home for the Holidays' and how she was apprehensive for him at the time as he struggled with substance abuse. 

In a cover profile of Downey for Esquire's April/May issue, the legendary actress recalled, “I took him aside at one point during filming and said, ‘Look, I couldn’t be more grateful for what you’ve given in this film,’ but I’m scared of what happens to you next."

Even though Foster remembered telling the 'Ironman' actor that he was "incredibly good at balancing on the barstool" at the time, she also told him, "But it’s really precarious, and I’m not sure how that’s going to end."

Robert Downey Jr was arrested multiple times in the late '90s

The Oscar-winning actor made headlines for all the wrong reasons in the late '90s as he was arrested several times and put behind bars over drug-related charges. He has spoken openly about struggling with addiction before he got sober in 2002.

Jodie Foster heaps praise on Robert Downey Jr

"There was more creativity in his little finger than I will ever have in my whole life — but he did not have the discipline," the Academy Award-winning actress told Esquire of Downey. "He was so out there that all of that wonderful talent was kind of just, like, flailing his arms in the water and making a big mess."

"But it was in there somewhere, right? Because now he is somebody who’s become disciplined almost as a way of surviving," she added. Foster said she has "faith in people’s ability to change if they want it, and he really wanted it."

Robert Downey Jr won his first Oscar last month 

Downey took home his first Oscar last month, winning the Best Supporting Actor award for his role as Atomic Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan's atomic-bomb epic 'Oppenheimer'.

The actor's acceptance speech included some emotional moments, addressing the years he spent in the grip of drug addiction and thanking his wife, Susan Downey, for "loving me back to life." Shortly after winning the prestigious award, Downey spoke about his journey from the darkest phase in his life to an Academy Award winner.

"I think if you develop a moral psychology, things are a lot easier," he said, per People Magazine. "And I think it's hard to explain away certain behaviors when there are ways to heal." Downey added, "So I both have a lot of empathy for, and I also am a little bit skeptical about, anyone who doesn't lean into what they can do to improve the state of their compass. That's all."