Tom Cruise May Appear in 'Tropic Thunder' But Downey Jr. Steals The Show

Much to Ben Stiller's chagrin, the cat is now officially out of the bag about Tom Cruise's cameo in "Tropic Thunder" (check out our new Ben Stiller interview here). This morning, the New York Times reported at length about Cruise's performance in Stiller's upcoming big summer comedy. So the surprise is gone. Oh, well. But I am here to tell you that it will do nothing to detract from your enjoyment of "Tropic Thunder" when it opens August 15. And it all comes down to one man. No, not Cruise. Robert Downey Jr.

I've seen "Tropic Thunder" and as I've been telling anyone who will listen since, Robert Downey Jr.'s performance is absolutely one of the funniest I have seen in years.

As you've seen from the trailer by now, Downey plays an actor so committed to his craft that he's altered the pigment of his skin to play an African-American soldier in Vietnam. But this is so much more than a stunt performance. We're far too early for me to reveal any specific moments from the performance but I will say that Downey is mesmerizing from his first moments in the film (he appears alongside a high profile star in a movie within a movie that is kind of genius).

This is clearly going to be a huge year for Downey between "Iron Man" and co-starring in "Atonement" director Joe Wright's latest, "The Soloist." But as much as the latter may sound like Oscar-bait, I am here to tell you that his turn in "Tropic Thunder" is worthy of awards consideration. It's a role we'll be talking about for years to come. Trust me.

Tags ben stiller, robert downey jr, tom cruise, tropic thunder