Robert Downey Jr. issues a statement about 20-year-old son Indios arrest

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On Sunday, Robert Downey Jr.’s 20-year-old son Indio was arrested in West Hollywood for possession of cocaine. We talked about it yesterday, and as I said, I feel for RDJ. He got clean, he made his amends and he became a better father to Indio in the last ten years. So it must be difficult and heart-wrenching to see his son start down such a similar path of self-destruction and drug abuse. Following the news of the arrest (which broke Monday morning), RDJ offered a public statement about Indio’s arrest.

“Unfortunately there’s a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it. Also, there is a lot of family support and understanding, and we’re all determined to rally behind him and help him become the man he’s capable of being. We’re grateful to the Sheriff’s department for their intervention, and believe Indio can be another recovery success story instead of a cautionary tale.”

[Via Digital Spy]

I like that statement a lot. I like that RDJ isn’t minimizing the situation. I like that he doesn’t take a shot at the Sheriff’s Department – he praises them instead and nearly thanks them for arresting his son. It also feels like RDJ blames himself too – that he was an addict because of faulty wiring and Indio inherited the same screwy wiring. Which is one component of it, definitely. But I also think that Indio is 20 years old and the son of The Most Powerful Actor In America (Forbes just gave him that title, btw) and he parties a lot. A snapshot of a person at 20 isn’t always the best reflection of who they will eventually be. I guess that’s what RDJ is hoping too – that with enough positive influences and tough love, they can change Indio’s course. Here’s hoping.

Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.

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