The 2024 Sundance Film Festival is in full swing, and Robert Downey Jr. wasted no time making some headlines, with his epic introductory speech for Christopher Nolan at the opening night gala — as captured by Hollywood Reporter writer Chris Gardner.

Before welcoming the film auteur to the stage, Downey let the audience in on a little secret about Nolan. “Confidentially,” Downey began, “he needs his spirits lifted, he's a bit blue… because a terrible tragedy has befallen him, and I don't mean to bring this up… I know it's very personal… He has become recognizable on the street.”

Over the audience's laughter, Downey continued the deadpan intro: “And he recoils, as though from a hot flame from this new and most unwelcome reality.”

Downey clearly had a good time poking some fun at his introverted Oppenheimer director, continuing “Who is this man? This enigmatic auteur? Perhaps only I can explain. We have become extremely close — as in, we had dinner on location once.”

Downey got in one last roast-y jab before getting serious about Nolan's talents: “A trailblazer ventures where no one has gone before and is hard to follow. This delights him, the very possibility of not having to see anybody along the way in front of him at all. Ever. His spirit animal is the timber wolf.”

Robert Downey Jr. was honoring Christopher Nolan with the inaugural Trailblazer Award at Sundance for his illustrious film resume. Clearly the two have a good rapport, and are undoubtedly looking forward to some artistic screen time in the snow at Sundance.