Downey's Probation Going Well

A judge told Robert Downey Jr. Tuesday he was pleased with the actor's progress in drug rehabilitation as Downey prepares to restart a film career derailed by his high-profile battle with addiction.

Downey, who has been arrested twice on drug charges since his release from prison in August 2000, appeared before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randall White for a brief hearing to review a status report prepared by the actor's probation officers.

The judge expressed satisfaction with the report, which Downey's lawyers and prosecutors said showed the actor had remained drug-free and in compliance with the treatment program he entered last spring following his most recent arrest.

White ordered the actor to return to court for another review on July 19, at which time the judge may dismiss charges Downey pleaded no contest to last year and lift his probation.

"I'm pleased to see that you're doing well," the judge told Downey. "I hope it (drug rehab) continues to be of some benefit to you. I'll see you back here on July 19."

Downey, who turns 37 next month, responded, "Thank you." Appearing in court wearing a purple sharkskin suit, white shirt and striped tie, he said nothing else during the proceedings, or on his way into our out of the courtroom.

Afterward, his lawyer, James Epstein, told reporters his client was "going full-bore" with his acting career. As has been widely reported, he said Downey is due next month to begin shooting a film from Mel Gibson's production company, "The Singing Detective," adapted from a BBC TV mini-series.

The film marks Downey's first acting role since he was placed on probation last July and ordered to remain in drug rehab for cocaine possession. It also will be his first feature film project since ending a year-long prison stay in August 2000 on a previous drug conviction. His last big-screen role was in "Wonder Boys" with Michael Douglas.

Asked what has made the difference in Downey's latest round of drug treatment, Epstein said, "It's hard to say. He's more mature, more ready to accept help."

Deputy District Attorney Tamara Capone said the probation report showed Downey was "complying with the program. He's drug free, he's working and he seems to be staying out of trouble."

Downey was sentenced in January to three years of probation and ordered to remain in a live-in drug rehab program for at least a year after he pleaded no contest to felony cocaine possession and a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Those charges stemmed from a November 2000 arrest in Palm Springs that came just three months after he was released from prison on a prior drug conviction. Downey was arrested again last April in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City, but prosecutors in that case declined to file charges.

Fallout from those arrests cut short an earlier career comeback by Downey, who received an Oscar nomination for his 1992 film role in "Chaplin." He most recently had a recurring role on the popular Fox television series "Ally McBeal" that earned him a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards.