Robert Downey Jr. recounts his 'evil' stint in prison

Robert Downey Jr. has opened up about his stint in a prison receiving centre.

The Iron Man star was sentenced to three years in California State Prison in 1999 following a cocaine possession charge. However, he only served one year in a rehab facility - getting an early release in 2000 after posting bail.

During Monday's episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, the 58-year-old actor described the prison receiving centre as "arguably the most dangerous place" he'd ever been.

"You could just feel the evil in the air, and that was no trouble at all because it was kind of like just being in a really bad neighbourhood," the Sherlock Holmes actor told hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. "There was no opportunity there. There was only threats."

Robert was transferred to California's Substance Abuse Treatment Facility after coming to terms with his situation.

"We are programmed to, within a short amount of time, be able to adjust to things that are seemingly impossible," the Tropic Thunder star considered. "And for me, there's worse things that could have happened than being sent to an institution, by far."