Robert Downey Jr. Says His Short-Lived SNL Stint Taught Him ‘What I Wasn’t’

Robert Downey Jr. is an actor who knows his limits.

The Iron Man star, 59, is featured in the new four-part docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, which delves into the history and legacy of the iconic late-night sketch show Saturday Night Live.

Downey was a cast member on season 11 of the show, which ran from 1985 to 1986. The actor — who was just 20 years old at the time — said he was appreciative of his brief stint on SNL because it helped him better understand his lane as a performer.

“I learned so much in that year about what I wasn’t. But there’s not a more exciting 90 minutes you could have, whether you are any good or not,” he said.

The Oppenheimer actor also shared that he got the gig on the iconic sketch series because of his good friend Anthony Michael Hall, who was also cast in the 1985-1986 season.

“Michael Hall said to me, ‘I’m gonna go do SNL. I’m gonna get you an audition and I bet you’re gonna get yourself on the show too,’ ” Downey recalled.

Hall, who also appears in the docuseries — and was the youngest cast member ever hired on the show at just 17 years old — recounted his own challenging experience working on the comedy juggernaut.

“When I look back, I have some memories of it being difficult,” he said in his interview, while also admitting that, in hindsight, it was likely hard for the show’s writers to create material for someone so young.

“I think — for a lot of the writers to figure out how to write for this kid — I think it was a big challenge,” he said.

Season 11 featured a number of other now-well-known performers, including Joan Cusack, Damon Wayans, Randy Quaid, Jon Lovitz and Al Franken. However, the season is widely considered one of the show’s weakest by SNL fans and critics, and many of the cast members were replaced by season 12.

“I wanted to go younger,” SNL creator Lorne Michaels said of the season during the same docuseries. “I perhaps went too young, but I wanted to go younger. The Baby Boomer generation had dominated the show for 10 years, so I decided to clean house.”

While his time on SNL may have been rocky, Downey’s career is no worse for wear.

The Oscar winner has received a number of awards and nominations for his work over the years and he is officially one of the top-grossing film actors of all time due to his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, per Collider.

The actor has also become known as a beacon of support for others in the industry — especially young performers still finding their way.

“If he sees a performance he likes, he will go out of his way to get ahold of that person, especially anyone young and up and coming,” his wife, film producer Susan Downey, 51, told PEOPLE exclusively in 2024.

“If he knows somebody struggling, he’ll reach out, so much to the point that people know to send people towards him, because he will make that time. It’s just an appreciation for all he’s gone through, for all the people who were there and stuck around through some of his more difficult times,” she added.

SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night is currently streaming on Peacock.