Robert Downey Jr says jail in 1990s felt like 'really bad neighborhood'

Robert Downey Jr. is experienced atraumatic sentence in the jail in 1990s.

Speaking to Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert, the actor described the days like a 'spell' on him.

He began: "I'm gonna try to give you the flashcards: I'm in court, I'm being over-sentenced by an angry judge, and at some point he said something in Latin. I thought he was casting a spell on me."

"Two weeks later, I'm in a place called Delano, which is a receiving center where they decide where you're going to go. Arguably the most dangerous place I've ever been in my life because nobody is designated. If they're a level 1, 2, 3 or 4 criminal, [everyone's there]," he said. "You could just feel the evil in the air."

The actor continued: "It was kind of like just being in a really bad neighborhood, and there was no opportunity there; there was only threats," continued Downey Jr. "So, yes, everyone is going to take your wallet, so watch it."

Downey Jr then shared a hilarious anecdote: "I remember walking out at one point when I hopped out of my cell to go to the shower — by the way, this would be the best soundbite — and I didn't know it but I was a little spun out and I had my underwear on backwards. ... I remember eliciting some strong chuckles and jeers from my fellow inmates."