The actor joked that he was 'so deeply impressed' by his own speech.
Robert Downey Jr. is honoring Jon Favreau in hilarious fashion. The 57-year-old actor was on hand to celebrate his Marvel co-star on Monday, as the Iron Man director received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"Sixteen years ago this week, Jon and I were in preproduction on what felt like a high-concept indie. We were fueled by this infectious yet unfounded confidence," Downey said of Iron Man. "I was beyond grateful for the power of second chances. Strangely, Kevin Feige trusted us, he and I trusted Jon, and for no good reason, Jon and Kevin trusted me."
"Iron Man was a second-tier superhero property that had no shot at affording Kevin Feige the opportunity to launch a cinematic universe, because there was no such thing as a cinematic universe," he continued, before joking, "I would never insinuate that it was me who made Jon a multi-hyphenate international sensation 'cause I have to leave something for his speech."
Downey continued by noting that "there's nothing more awkward for my friend that we are here to celebrate and honor than being honored and celebrated."
"He has somehow bridged the gap between being a household name, still sometimes confused with that of a political speech writer, while maintaining a level of personal humility," Downey said. "The ride I've shared with him is too [great] to even imagine, and yet it's only a small part of his larger storytelling journey that continues to leave us elevated, inspired and connected. These tales are often explorations of his own struggles, losses, hopes and dreams."
Downey noted that Favreau's "greatest gift is his humanity," before celebrating his pal for "the funny" he brings to the world.
"Just for the funny alone, this man deserves this star," he said. "You will never meet a more searingly sophisticated wit. Why? Because he gets the joke, and the joke is often painful. He deeply understands that life is fleeting and if we're not laughing, we're dying."
Downey next celebrated Favreau's "mastery of the deep dive, whether it's becoming a chef in order to play one or co-creating a technology to provide a new form of entertainment, he is relentless in the pursuit of what's next and what's possible."
Downey ended his speech by patting himself on the back, quipping, "I am so deeply impressed with this speech I'm giving you right now. It is checking all the boxes. I'm sure many of you will be reposting it ASAFP and rewinding back through Jon's pending speech to view this introduction several times at minimum."
"But sadly, there is no accolade presenter without a recipient," Downey concluded, before inviting Favreau to the podium.
After the ceremony, ET's Ash Crossan spoke to Favreau, who spoke about what the MCU means to him.
"To be a part of that and continuing the tradition with Star Wars and to be able to play with all the toys, to be an actor, to be a writer, to be a producer, a director, to be able to go on all the rides in this beautiful amusement park that we have here," he said of the best parts of the cinematic universe.
Favreau additionally told ET that things being honored at the ceremony is "a little surreal" because "this isn't my life usually at all."
"What's funny is, when you get here, you think it's about this, but it's not. It's about the people that came here and the people that spoke and the people that have been exposed to the things I've done," Favreau said. "... That's the honor, to be able to have a career for as long as I have and to do what I love. This is just the icing on the cake. Honestly, just to have the life of loving what you do and being able to affect people and make them happy, that's really the special part."
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