The pair’s friendship has lasted over four decades

NEED TO KNOW

• Anthony Michael Hall reflects on his 40-year friendship with Robert Downey Jr., which began on the set of Weird Science
• Hall revealed he helped Downey land his Saturday Night Live audition and shared memories of their comedic sketches together
• Hall, who is godfather to one of Downey’s sons, praised Downey’s Hollywood comeback and his “down-to-earth” personality

Anthony Michael Hall is grateful for his “long history” with former costar Robert Downey Jr.

Hall, 58, joined Boy Meets World alum Danielle Fishel for the latest episode of her podcast, iHeartRadio’s Teen Beat, to talk about his long-standing career and friendship with the Iron Man actor, whom he met on the set of Weird Science in the ‘80s.

When asked how their friendship has survived 40 years in the spotlight, Hall noted that he has “been there for him” through all the ups and downs — and vice versa.

“We just have a long, a long history together,” Hall recalled on the podcast.

The pair met on the set of the 1985 Hughes-directed comedy when Hall was 17 and Downey was 20. That same year, they both landed gigs on Saturday Night Live, and Hall noted that some of his favorite sketches included the now-61-year-old actor.

“We did some Weekend Update stuff with me and Downey in that era. I got Downey his audition, and he auditioned for Lorne [Michaels] and got the job,” he recalled.

“We did Hall & Oates that year. It was really funny because Downey came out as John Oates, but because he’s a shorter guy, they had him on his knees, and they built these cowboy boots around his knees so he could look like he was up to my waist, and we both had like the ‘80s wigs, and I was doing Daryl Hall,” he added with a laugh.

The pair worked so well together that Hall says he and Downey wrote a script right after SNL and worked on another project “a couple of years back” that they tried to get made, but things didn’t pan out.

“So unfortunately that didn’t work out,” Hall, who is even godfather to one of Downey’s sons, said.

“But he’s always been a good friend, and I’m really proud of his success, you know,” the actor ended. “And his wife is very cool. She’s instrumental in his great comeback. He’s had just a great career, and he’s a great guy. Despite all the great success he’s had, he’s a very real, very down-to-earth guy.”

During a 2017 interview with Larry King, Hall shared similar sentiments about the Marvel star, noting that they met at Universal before production on Weird Science began, “hit it off as buddies” and have been close ever since.

While Downey struggled with drug and alcohol addiction in the late ‘90s, Hall noted that he was “doing fantastic.”

“It’s amazing… I mean that’s gotta be one of the greatest comebacks in the history of Hollywood,” he said.

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