Robert Downey Jr.'s son has "taken pity" on him and has made Iron Man his favourite Marvel character again.

Robert Downey Jr

Robert Downey Jr

The 54-year-old actor - who has son Indio, 26, with first wife Deborah Falconer and son Exton, seven, and daughter Avri, five, with spouse Susan - portrayed the character for 11 years and has seen his alter ego fall in and out of favour with his kids over the years.

He said: "It went by just like that...

"[My son] was into me, then he got into Nick Fury and then it was all about Black Panther, and now he's taken pity on me and is playing with my figurines again."

Robert can next be seen as the titular animal expert in 'Dolittle' and admitted interacting with the virtual creatures in the film left him feeling like he was hallucinating.

Speaking to talk show host Graham Norton, he said: "Sometimes it's working against green screens, or with animal actors dressed in green suits, or with something on the end of a stick - like usual hallucinations!"

The American star adopted a Welsh accent for the film, which he believed was "passable", and explained he was attracted to the role because it was "something different" to other famous figures he's portrayed on screen in the past.

He said: "It's a passable Welsh accent, which is good for me. I wanted to do something different after Sherlock and Chaplin and I'd read about this nutty doctor from the 19th Century - Dr. Price so I based my character on him."

The full interview with Robert airs on 'The Graham Norton Show' on Friday (24.01.20) night on BBC One.