Robert Downey Jr. says Kate Winslet once roasted him for 'the worst British accent' she'd ever heard

Robert Downey Jr. is no stranger to English characters: He played Sherlock Holmes in two big-budget movies and received an Oscar nomination for portraying Charlie Chaplin. But his accent work didn't do him any favors when he auditioned for The Holiday opposite Kate Winslet years ago.

During a recent appearance on SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show, Downey and Jimmy Fallon recounted their experiences reading for Nancy Meyers' 2006 Christmas rom-com, and it sounds like they didn't impress.

"We both got called in just as seat fillers… [Meyers] needed someone to read with the gals and we're sitting there going, 'It's about to happen for us,'" Downey said. "And I was like, 'I've got to have a better English accent than Jude Law at this point.' And Winslet said, 'That is the worst British accent I've ever heard.'"

Downey's reaction to being roasted? "I'll check out now, but I'm taking the gummy bears from the minibar."

Charley Gallay/Getty for Netflix; Tristan Fewings/Getty Robert Downey Jr. and Kate Winslet

Downey read for the role that ended up going to Law, his future Dr. Watson, while Fallon read for the part ultimately played by Jack Black.

"I thought, honestly, I said, 'If Jack Black says no to this movie, I'm so in,'" Fallon recalled. "'I'll do it for half his price.'"

Despite Winslet's withering assessment, Fallon remained awestruck by Downey's talents.

"I'm sitting across from Robert Downey Jr., and I go, 'This is the best actor I've ever sat across and did a scene with in my entire life,'" Fallon said. "It was mind-blowing for me and it kind of, I quit the business. I never went back. That was the last time I auditioned for a role."

Downey and Fallon's trip down memory lane (to which you can listen to above) came as part of a surprise summer broadcast by Stern on Saturday night, which also included appearances from Drew Barrymore, Jon Bon Jovi, and Brooke Shields.

Downey next stars in Oppenheimer, which hits theaters Friday, while Fallon's Tonight Show is currently off the air due to the Hollywood writers' strike.

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