Robert Downey Jr. celebrates his 58th birthday by sharing rare glimpse of his family life

Robert Downey Jr. sure has had a great year. The actor shared a sweet video on Instagram on April 4, giving a sneak-peak into his life this previous year. In the heartwarming video, he thanked his family and the people he collaborated with in the past year for different projects, including movies like "Oppenheimer" and "The Sympathizer."

At the beginning of the video, he can be seen singing "Happy Birthday" along with his family while a cake is brought to him. The overlay text reads, "57 you've been too kind with great gratitude I shall rewind." He then mentions the debut of the documentary "Sr." which shed light on the life and career of his father, Robert Downey Sr.

Downey Jr. also thanked his kids for "shaving his dome" and also included a clip from watching his son play baseball. "After all these blessings I must simply say," he wrote over a video of him blowing out candles on a birthday cake, "I hope I never grow up one day." The video ends with a clip of him sitting on a blown-up donkey.

The video quickly went viral, garnering over 23.4 million views and 3 million likes. Many on Instagram could not believe that their favorite actor is growing old. @quaid_hussain_ commented, "Our hero is getting old." @rondalallen wrote, "Bobby DJ has a birthday no way! 57? Closer to 60 means you're about to count. Don't. Never count. Advice from a fan older than you. Yep."

@blye_eye_gypsy_alvis expressed, "Happy birthdays to one of my favorite and iconic actors. Thank you for being such a legend. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed year." @mdzafa9838 wrote, "Happy birthday to one of my favorite and iconic actors. Thank you for being such a legend. I hope you have a wonderful and blessed year."

In October 2022, the actor posted another video in which his children were seen shaving his hair in preparation for his role in "The Sympathizer." He asked his kids in the clip, "I don’t want to have to wear a bald cap, so will you guys shave my head?” His 8-year-old daughter Avri replies, "Is that even appropriate?"

The star's 11-year-old son Exton and Avri finally shave his hair off and when asked what they want in return, the pair end up painting a jack-o-lantern on the back of their father's freshly-shaved head. 

Downey has stayed away from the limelight since he parted ways with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2019. News broke on March 23 that he is set to be part of the remake of Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller, "Vertigo." Paramount Pictures is planning to remake the classic with him and his wife, Susan Downey, producing through their Team Downey entertainment company, reports PEOPLE.

Talking about the Netflix documentary, "Sr.," the actor shared that he took some wise advice from his wife while crafting it. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2022. "It's kind of a redemption story that doesn't have a happy ending, but it's funny. And those are my favorite kind of stories," Downey Jr. said at a Q&A after the festival screening.