Robert Downey Jr. appears to be in line for his third Oscar nomination for a supporting role in writer-director Christopher Nolan’s historical epic “Oppenheimer.” Downey’s turn as founding US Atomic Energy Commission member Lewis Strauss has so far earned him a best supporting actor Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations in the category from the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Critics’ Choice Association.

Sandwiched in between the movie blockbusters “Avengers: Endgame” and “Oppenheimer” for Downey, though, was “Dolittle.” The film unfortunately had an underwhelming box office return of $251.5 million worldwide against a $175 million budget.

Downey was humbled by the tepid reception to “Dolittle,” though, which coupled with the complacency he experienced in the MCU, set him up for a valuable lesson to learn in showbiz going forward. “The rug was pulled so definitively out from underneath me and all the things that I was leaning on as opposed to what my understanding of confidence and security was, boy did they evaporate,” Downey told Lowe. “And it rendered me teachable.”

Luckily for Downey, the teacher was Christopher Nolan, and the masterclass the filmmaker was heading happened to be “Oppenheimer.”

“And the crazy thing is they say when the student is ready, the Nolan will come,” Downey explained to Lowe. “I mean, the teacher will come. And that’s what happened.”