Timothy Olyphant looks back on his failed audition for IRON MAN with humility and grace

As you may already know, Justified star Timotheus Oliphant he was once up for the role of Tony Stark in Marvel’s Iron man. He was up against the likes of Robert Downey Jr. AND Sam Rockwell for the role. During a recent appearance on The Playlist’s Bingeworthy Podcast, Olyphant looked back on the audition and talked about his experience with the Iron Man director. Jon Favreau. He said:

“I can just tell you I remember thinking that was the first time that, because I learn a little slow and I think I was scared shitless of the things that come with being successful in this business, but that was the moment I remember that I thought, ‘Well, I can’t be grounded anymore and so [auditioning for ‘Iron Man’] It would be fun.’ I think before I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t want this kind of problem.’ And I think part of that appeal was those conversations that I had [Jon] Favreau – I just have tremendous respect for him and I really like the guy. He’s just a good boy. And so, if you’re going to go down that road, you won’t find anyone better to go down it with, so I have fond memories of that experience, you know?

Though Olyphant didn’t get the role, he ended up working with Favreau years later when he was cast as Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian, and also appeared in The Book of Boba Fett. The actor added:

“I try to just see things for what they are and not what they could be and all the conversations I had with Jon about that work and that process, I remember very fondly. It was a fun process… And, well, he’s the one who hired me [‘The Mandalorian’]so he owes me nothing.

Olyphant just seems like a super nice and cool guy. I really love his take on how this all turned out. As you know, casting Downey as Iron Man was a big risk for Marvel Studios due to his troubled history with the law and substance abuse. But Favreau and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige fought to cast him and they were willing to give him that chance, and it definitely paid off for him! The film was a smash hit and launched an epic franchise that no one could have imagined.