Robert Downey Jr. walks out of awkward 'Avengers' interview

For the cast of Avengers: Age of Ultron, dealing with the barrage of identical interview questions during a global press tour is simply another part of the job. So sometimes, it can be invigorating when a reporter asks something different and fresh. Sometimes not. For Robert Downey Jr., his recent interview with Britain’s Channel 4 turned cringe-worthy when the questions strayed too far from the Marvel blockbuster and the star walked out.

The seven-minute chat starts innocently enough, with relatively generic questions about Downey’s Iron Man and what it was like to film the sequel to 2012’s superhero blockbuster. But about halfway through, the conversation takes a sharp turn, as interviewer Krishnan Guru-Murphy begins poking at Downey’s past—including his drug addiction, his relationship with his father, and his jail time. Guru-Murphy also brings up quotes that Downey made to the New York Times about his political views in 2008, causing the normally affable actor to ask rather sarcastically, “Are we promoting a movie?”

This is not the first time Guru-Murphy has provoked an uncomfortable exchange with a Hollywood star. In 2013, he conducted an interview with Quentin Tarantino where he tried to bait the director into talking about whether movie violence had any negative impact in the real world. As for Downey, the actor has openly spoken about his struggle with addiction as well as his jail time throughout his career—though such comments are usually not addressed in a promotional setting.

A rep for Downey had no comment.

Watch the full interview below.

Avengers: Age of Ultron arrives in theaters May 1.