Josh Brolin moved by Robert Downey Jr.'s 'astounding' Broadway performance

Josh Brolin recently took a moment to celebrate his longtime friend, Robert Downey Jr., after catching his powerful performance in McNeal on Broadway.

Taking to his Instagram on Friday, October 18, Brolin expressed admiration not only for Downey’s “astounding” performance as the titular character Jacob McNeal, but also for his enduring sobriety.

The play featured Downey, 59, as a troubled novelist grappling with alcoholism and mental health issues — a role that mirrors parts of Downey’s own life.

“Thanks, Downey, for continuing to find the most soul challenging roads in sobriety,” Brolin, 56, wrote alongside a backstage selfie with Downey and other industry pals

The caption continued, “You are a pinnacle of the power of example of how to ultimately best live what this life can provide. Love you, pal.”

The two actors last worked together in Avengers: Endgame (2019) as Thanos and Iron Man, marking the third time they shared the screen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Downey, whose struggles with substance abuse were widely publicised in the late '90s and early 2000s, has been sober since 2003.

He has credited his wife, Susan Downey, for giving him the wake-up call he needed to turn his life around.