Jon Favreau Shares the Inspiration Behind ‘Iron Man’ Dialogues: “I Would Take Notes”

In 2008, comic book movies were just starting out. Films like ‘X-Men’ and ‘Spider-Man’ showed what comic book movies could achieve when done right. Then, Marvel Studios came along and changed everything. ‘Iron Man’ marked the beginning of the MCU and set a new standard for superhero films. It’s had a huge impact, sparking a phenomenon that transformed cinema forever.

The movie was a box-office hit, received critical acclaim, and earned numerous awards for the studio. That’s why, even years later, it’s still remembered and cherished. In a recent interview with People, Jon Favreau shared insights into making ‘Iron Man,’ particularly how real-life banter between Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow inspired the film’s dialogue.

I was a very good student where I would take notes as they would talk, and whether it was improvising or even just talking about the scene, I would write stuff down that they would say.

Because we were reading the script and it said, ‘This looks like Jackson Pollock’s spring period.’ And then she corrected us in rehearsal. She says, ‘No, it’s actually The Springs period. The Springs is the part of the Hamptons where Jackson Pollock lived and worked, not spring, not the season.’

Favreau remarked that the veteran actors matched each other perfectly, resulting in natural and seamless dialogue.

So I wrote down every word, and she’s correcting him in the movie when he says, ‘the spring period.’ So it just adds to their sort of nippy banter. I find it thoroughly compelling and entertaining to watch the two of them on screen together because they had this banter that has an edge to it.

Both RDJ and Paltrow made their final MCU appearance in 2019’s ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ with Paltrow recently admitting she hasn’t watched the movie because she finds the cinematic universe too complex to navigate. There have been rumors of RDJ returning to the MCU, but Feige has debunked them, stating it would undermine the gravity and emotional impact of ‘Endgame.’

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