Robert Downey Jr. Dieting To Please Pal Chris Martin

Robert Downey Jr. is dieting to please his friend Chris Martin. The actor - who became friends with the Coldplay frontman after starring in "Iron Man" with Chris' wife Gwyneth Paltrow - has been shedding pounds in preparation for his title role in the upcoming movie "Sherlock Holmes."

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He made the decision to slim down following pressure from Chris, who is a big fan of the Arthur Conan Doyle detective stories.

Robert said: "He's a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. He said to me before we began, 'You've got to be gaunt. You've got to be a skinny as you possibly can to play Holmes.' So every time I'm reaching for a muffin I just think about Chris Martin and skip the snack. It's been tough."

Robert, 43, needed to slim down after bulking up for his role in action movie "Tropic Thunder."

He said: "All I did was eat cheeseburgers and smoke Camels for three months. You've got to be in good shape to make it through that.

"I do tons of weightlifting and martial arts anyway, so I stepped up my Wing Chun Kung Fu. I like staying in shape for a movie. Normally you pay for personal trainers, so it's great when you can keep fit at someone else's expense. I run a lot of miles and eat a lot of Wheaties cereal."