Despite being only 31, Robert Downey Jr. has an impressive list of credits: he was nominated for an Oscar for Chaplin (1992), and worked with directors such as Richard Attenborough, Oliver Stone (Natural Born Killers) and Robert Altman (Short Cuts). His career started in 1970 when, at age five, he played a puppy... (!) in Pound, directed by his father, Robert Downey, a director famous for bizarre comedies. Downey Jr. later worked in several teen movies from the 80's, like Tuff Turf (1985) and Back to School (1986), but established himself as a respectable actor with his role as a junkie in Less Than Zero (1987).

Now, Downey Jr. can be seen in Restoration, a period piece set in 17th century England. He plays a doctor who is picked by King Charles II (Jurassic Park's Sam Neill) to marry one of his mistresses. Soon another movie with Downey Jr. will open in Brazil, Jodie Foster's Home For The Holidays. In New York, the actor talked about Restoration and about his career.

What attracted you to the role in Restoration?

In first place, the story, which is very good. I also enjoyed having the chance to play a character from another time. I love wearing period costumes and trying to talk with the right accent. All of this is very stimulating for me. I haven't had many chances to work in period films.

As an actor, do you have to prepare yourself very much for a role in a period film?

In theory, yes. You have to learn the way people behave and talk. I had a wonderful teacher who helped me a lot. During weeks, I practiced my British accent, but when we started shooting, I changed my voice a lot. I consider myself to be a very intuitive actor, and I don't follow rules very well. My teacher didn't complain, so I think I did a pretty good job.

Let's change the subject for a minute. I would like to know how you see, today, the teen movies you shot in the 80's?

With shame! (laughter) No, I'm kidding! I don't regret anything I did. Those were the roles available to me at that particular time, and they gave me visibility and allowed me to work with better directors later on.

Is working with Robert Altman really the dream of any actor?

You bet. Actors love Bob because he lets you improvise and allows you to create. He is not one of those directors who demand that you do what the script tells you to do. Bob lets you use your intuition to improve a scene.

Is it true that the shooting of Natural Born Killers was very though?

Yes. We shot a big part of the film in a real prison, and that was tough. Oliver likes to stretch his crew's efforts to the limit, and those who are not use to his working methods sometimes have a hard time adapting. But that was an incredible experience.

Were you dissapointed by the bad reviews Chaplin received?

Yes. The problem was that the studio didn't want a very long picture, so they told Attenborough to cut whole segments of the film. If they allowed him to make the film he envisioned, it would have been a much better picture.