The Leaning Factories 282
to make him seem real,” the producer and director of the
movie, Jon Favreau, said. “Robert Downey Jr said, ‘We need
to sit down with Elon Musk.’ Downey was right. Elon is
a paragon of enthusiasm, good humor and curiosity – a
Renaissance man in an era that needs them.”^416
Elon accepted the request and the actor took the chance
to participate in a real meeting between SpaceX and NASA
engineers. “Was that actually Robert Downey Jr and why
was he at that meeting?” one engineer asked Elon. To return
the favor, Tony Stark’s garage in the movie included a
Roadster, and Elon and his wife were invited to the movie
set. “I think he said that he was a lifelong fan of comics in
general and Iron Man in particular,” Justine said of Downey
Jr. “This movie is pretty special to him – the light in his eyes
was like a kid’s.”^150
In the sequel,Iron Man 2, Elon had a small role in
the movie as himself where he, while wearing a white
suit, talked rocket engines and electric airplanes with Tony
Stark. “Mr Musk,” Stark’s secretary, Pepper Potts, said
before the conversation began. In the movie, you can also
see a couple of scenes filmed inside of the SpaceX factory.
Standing in the entrance to the factory, there’s a life-
size statue of Tony Stark in his Iron Man suit. The movie
crew signed it. You can also find a large robot from the
television seriesBattlestar Galacticaand the now famous
cheese that traveled to space and back.
The factory includes office space, manufacturing, and
several special rooms. There’s a room with a climate con-
trol. You need to have a constant temperature to measure