"I love critics," Robert Downey Jr. said when accepting his Best Supporting Actor Critics Choice Award for Oppenheimer Sunday night.
Tongue firmly in cheek, the actor continued, "You know, they've given me such beautiful feedback, really just so many great moments, and some of it is so poetic." As he drew laughs from the crowd, he pulled an index card from his jacket and said, "I just want to share some of their thoughts with you over the years.”
Downey turned the tables on the critics — some of them who may have been in the room at the time — by proceeding to read from a random sampling, including, "The first one is kind of like Haiku: 'Sloppy, messy and lazy.'"
He continued, "The next one is more metaphoric: 'Like Pee-Wee Herman emerging from a coma," before affecting an English accent to read a review from a Brit that said he was "a puzzling waste of talent."
The last one "lingered," Downey noted: "Amusing as a bed-locked fart."
The former Marvel movie star then thanked his "Oppenhomies" for his experience on the movie, praising director Christopher Nolan, co-star Cillian Murphy and Nolan's wife and producing partner, Emma Thomas, as the "Holy Trinity."
Downey added, "Every day of filming was like having my ego's a** handed to me at the door, and I think it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."
Oppenheimer was the big winner of the evening in the film category, earning eight trophies, including Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director for Nolan, Best Cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema, Best Editing for Jennifer Lame, Best Visual Effects and Best Score for Ludwig Göransson.