Downey says directing could be his ‘next move’

Actor tells Esquire he inherited desire to step behind camera from his dad

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James Cameron’s spectacle “Avatar” hits theaters, along with George Clooney, who is “Up in the Air,” and Robert Downey Jr. as “Sherlock Holmes.”

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Access Hollywood

updated 12:24 a.m. ET Nov. 15, 2009

LOS ANGELES - Robert Downey Jr. is at the top of his acting game with the success of “Iron Man,” its planned sequels and the upcoming “Sherlock Holmes,” but is the actor looking to make an exit from the big screen?

“I will not be able to remain happy and sedate being whatever — being an increasingly hirable actor type,” Downey told Esquire magazine in its December issue. “I think the best thing I could do for my soul and my own development would be to direct.”

The 44-year-old actor said his time left on the big screen is uncertain — but that a role behind the camera is something he foresees happening.

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“I’m not sure exactly how things are going to shake out, because it’s really easy for me to do landgrabs with my day job, and I still have a lot of passion for it,” he continued. “But if I had to guess, that would probably be my next move.”

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Robert Downey Jr.
From early success to troubled drug days to newfound stardom in “Iron Man.”
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Downey said he got the directing bug from his dad, Robert Downey Sr.

“It’s in my blood from my dad and it’s — there are a bunch of other things I’ve always wanted to do that remain very, very much unrequited,” he told the mag. “And no matter how you slice it, I am still executing the wishes, thoughts, themes, titles, and stories coming from elsewhere. I feel like they’re mine, because I really invest myself in them — but there are some interesting things out there.”

Downey’s “Sherlock Holmes” hits theaters on Christmas Day.