Flirting with Disaster

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Robert Downey Jr.

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That may prove as tough to beat as heroin. Hollywood insiders say most celebrities who use drugs have someone in their inner circles who will get dope for them. One 45-year-old independent producer says it is ''well known that certain people have gained positions in Hollywood'' because they are procurers. ''Basically they're bagmen, and some become highly placed in the industry as a result.'' In an unpublished portion of an interview with ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY after Kurt Cobain's death in 1994, his mother, Wendy, railed against people in the music industry who got drugs for Cobain even when they knew he was in bad shape. ''I'm not going to name any names,'' she said, ''but there's one person I will never forgive. I saw him sobbing fake tears at the memorial. He was always 'Whaddya need, Kurt? Whaddya need to get back on your feet and make us more money?' Almost the same scenario that happened to Elvis Presley. Some people who were involved in Kurt's music business actually knew that Kurt was probably better off for them, financially, dead.''

Fortunately for Robert Downey Jr., the people around him are rooting for his survival, not his demise. Members of the band Aerosmith, who have fought their own substance abuse battles, plan to call to offer help. Because Downey is highly regarded as an actor and has never caused a production to shut down or lose money, a number of industry executives say they believe he can continue his career if he manages to beat drugs. (Of course, one problem is that many studios were apparently perfectly happy to use him while he was on drugs.)

''When he's straight, he's one of the most intuitive people I've ever met, almost telepathic,'' says Restoration director Hoffman. ''I love him, and I know he cares what I think. If he doesn't hear the wake-up call he just got, he's going to regret it deeply. There's nothing anyone can do for him; he's got to do it himself.''

One of Downey's close friends believes his recent troubles have been a cry for help. ''You know, he's a nice guy,'' she says. ''You should see that face when he's done something wrong. He's like a child. I'm really sad things are happening the way they are, but maybe it'll end up being good for him.''

And maybe, just maybe, the good boy will win out over the goat boy in the end.

(Additional reporting by Tim Appelo, Heidi Siegmund Cuda, Jeff Gordinier, Tricia Laine, Jennifer Pendleton, A.J.S. Rayl, and Frank Swertlow)