"Hey, watch it!" Robert Downey, Jr. screams as he enters the press room for his new film. "How are you? I'm fine. I'm just a little traumatized, I saw Gothika yesterday." Downey has just walked into a lamp on his way in to meet the press. His demeanor is casual, light-hearted and off the cuff. He hasn't prepared any answers - often he says the most spontaneous things. There's still a hint of prankster and jokester in him. Downey seems really enthused about this new horror film in which he co-stars with Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz. He plays a fellow criminologist at a psychiatric ward in the film, someone with a hinted past with the Berry character.

Are you a screamer?

I'm such a sucker for the scene where the owl flies out and Halle is in there. And that even got to me. I'm like, 'Come on!' That's like the lowest common denominator of scare tactics.

You said that you were traumatized. Is that in a good way?

Yeah. Yeah. Is there a bad [kind] of trauma?

I would think so.

Probably... That's a PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), right? You don't know you're traumatized. But every time the television's on you pull out your 9mm right and shoot the screen out.

Is Gothika your big break at making a good name for yourself again?

Nothing's a break for me. Not even the breaks are breaks. I'm so much more used to doing something. As James Spader would say, 'Chewing up the scenery,' or as Tom Sizemore would say, 'Making faces for cash and chicken.' In this role, I'm doing reacting.

What appealed to you about this role?

Joel Silver said, 'Read this.' That's kinda appealing. He said that Halle was doing it. Then I decided I'd do it before I read it. And then I read it, and I enjoyed it. I really did.

Were you aware that Halle had specifically requested you?

I heard that. But I heard it more yesterday and today then I did before which is really cool.

Have you guys been friends?

Nah. Uh-uh.

Why do you suppose that she wanted you?

Hmm... So in case it sucked it would be my fault, too. [Room breaks into uproarious laughter]

You fell in love on the set of Gothika?

Yep. It's working out.

Is it true that it's with an assistant of Joel Silver or something?

Oh, yeah. We were just working each other in the hallway before I came in.

Do you feel that you've been forgiven by Hollywood for your various sins of the past?

'Various' being the operative word?

What are you looking for as an actor? Do you find it easier now to get people to look at you now?

I love when people imply this. But Charlie Chaplin said this when he was nominated for this screenplay for The Great Dictator. And Brando, too, also said it but 'I don’t like the implication when people are in competition with each other.' I was in Chicago where I saw Sting concert in the park and [incoherent] was at this parties, but all these people are so competing for the almighty euro or American dollar. 'You're either overexposed or you're not exposed at all,' I once heard. Things being competitive as they are, however, I'm just really really grateful that I have initiated enough goodwill and enough respect that I'm not a total wash-out by now.

Speaking of ghost stories, you know, I'd really be filled with regret if I was floating around right now watching these junkets with people, everybody having fun and all that stuff... it would have been horrible if I couldn't be a part of it.

Is there a lesson here about getting second chances?

The lesson is that you can still make mistakes and be forgiven. It was one of those things because I didn't get to apologize like I wanted to because of the emergence of the situation. It broke my heart that we had to return to the scene on film the next day.

Do you still find the challenge and joy to make a movie like this even if you've done it a bunch of times before?

Yeah, every time. It would also be better if people thought I sucked because I wouldn't have to get nervous or trip on what the outcome was. There's a lot more responsibility when you don't have any excuses.

What is good about being older?

Older is essentially better, wiser, more communicative and self-confident.

Are you currently working on something else?

I thought I was about to do something. But I didn't necessarily. Even though it was great, I felt like I would have been doing it to be able to answer that question with a title here at this table. And I thought, 'You know what? There I go again!' What is my motive? Do I care how things really feel or how do they look and sound? I've done a lot of look and sound before so I thought I should look for something else.