Jodie Foster Recalls Telling Robert Downey Jr. She Was 'Scared of What Happens' Next During His Addiction Struggles

"Now he is somebody who's become disciplined almost as a way of surviving," the actress said in the April/May issue of Esquire, with Downey on the cover

Jodie Foster is looking back on her time directing Robert Downey Jr. in 1995's Home for the Holidays, and how she worried for him at the time as he struggled with addiction.

In a cover profile of Downey for Esquire's April/May issue, the 61-year-old 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."

While Foster remembered telling Downey, 59, 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.’ ”

The Oscar-winning actor made headlines in the late '90s and early aughts for being arrested and jailed multiple times over drug-related charges. He has spoken openly about struggling with addiction before he got sober in 2002.

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Related: Robert Downey Jr. Responds to Jimmy Kimmel's Joke About Him at 2024 Oscars: 'I Don't Care'

"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 winner 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.

Still speaking about the Iron Man actor, Foster went on to say that she has "faith in people’s ability to change if they want it, and he really wanted it."

Related: Indio Downey 'Going Through a Transformation' as He Celebrates 18 Months of Sobriety and His Upcoming EP (Exclusive)

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 deadpan 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 his big moment, Downey spoke to PEOPLE about his journey from an uninsurable actor to an Academy Award winner.

"I think if you develop a moral psychology, things are a lot easier," he said. "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."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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