Robert Downey Jr is anticipating a backlash over his role as a black man in new Ben Stiller comedy, Tropic Thunder.

In the film, Downey Jr plays a worthy thesp taking on a role originally written for a black actor.

But rather than re-write the part, his character goes for the method approach - and so we have an almost unrecorgnisable Downey Jr with ‘blacked-up’ face and an afro wig:

Even Downey Jr seems to be slightly nervous about how audiences will react to his unlikely role.

He tells a U.S. magazine: "If it's done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago. If you don't do it right, we're going to hell."

The Charlie Bartlett actor co-stars alongside Jack Black, Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte in the film, which also has cameos from Tom Cruise and Tobey Maguire.