The Marvel Cinematic Universe has entertained audiences for years, thanks to projects arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. So, fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have seen how close certain actors have gotten while bringing these stories to life, including Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland. And the latter actor recently shared advice about sobriety he got from the Iron Man actor, and it includes one colorful turn of phrase.
Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, and he will be reuniting with his old pals in the process. While Holland isn’t on the Doomsday cast list, fans are still hoping to see the two actors onscreen together in upcoming Marvel movies. As we wait to see if that actually happens, the Spider-Man star appeared on a TikTok from Men’s Health, where he revealed the sobriety advice that RDJ gave him. He said:
Downey has a phrase, it’s called hugging the cactus, which is essentially embracing the ugly sides of your character, and if you hug the cactus for long enough those ugly sides will become the best parts of your new self. And I think that’s a really great phrase for anyone that’s trying to get sober or to change something in their life is to accept the sides of you that are perhaps not as great and not letting your past define you.
Holland with his ongoing sobriety, but “hug the cactus” can be applied to most people. I mean, we’ve all got flaws that we’re trying to work through. And it sounds like this piece of advice has been helpful for the 29-year-old actor as he continues to stay sober.
Holland previously shared his lawyer’s advice when getting sober, so it’s clear that the A-list movie star was looking for feedback when deciding to give up drinking. Although it sounds like the words from RDJ really struck a chord, as the Uncharted actor repeated in that same interview:
So, yeah hugging the cactus is probably the best [advice] I’ve got.
Aside from their personal relationship, Robert Downey Jr. is someone who has had a very public struggle with substance issues. So his advice is doubly important in this case, and seemingly struck a chord with Holland.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that the Oscar-winning actor has helped folks through sobriety. Actor Wes Bentley shared that seeing Downey’s story helped him get sober as well. That was just admiring RDJ from afar, which shows the impact of being open and transparent as a public figure.
Both Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Holland are thriving personally and professionally, with projects on the 2025 movie release list and beyond. One can only imagine how their public sobriety journeys might have inspired fans.