Iron Man screenwriter Mark Fergus on his Irish heritage and working with Robert Downey Jr

The journey from business school to an Oscars was a surprising one for Iron Man screenwriter Mark Fergus

Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark in Iron Man.

He’s the Oscar-nominated screenwriter who can count Marvel’s Iron Man among his screenplays. Now Irish/American writer and filmmaker Mark Fergus has told how working closely with Robert Downey Jr and director John Favreau on the 2008 smash was a career highlight.

Fergus and his writing partner Hawk Ostby were hired by Favreau and top producer Kevin Feige to shape the screenplay for RDJ’s first outing as the offbeat superhero.

It was the first movie in what would become a globally loved Marvelverse, and Fergus could not have anticipated the success the film would become.

“It was before the universe had taken off in the way it has gone to take over the world of popular culture,” he says. “We loved the comics, we read them all and found a really great story. The idea that John was going to reach for someone like Robert Downey Jr. to play him...we didn't expect it to rise to such heights. It was John who really set the tone and brought in amazing people one after the other.” 

The movie became a deeply collaborative project for Fergus, who continued working with the team throughout the shoot. “Downey is one of those people who's sort of like a jazz player. He's constantly playing and listening and going all over the place trying to find his magic, which is his own process and is incredible fun to watch, and to write for.

“It felt like it was trying to do something different. And it did. I thought we were going to be overlooked because of that - but it was the opposite. We knew how great he was as an actor, but the fact that he was such a powerful movie star in terms of his chemistry with an audience. I knew it was going to happen, but not as good as it turned out to be.” 

 Fergus is one of the special guests who will share his storytelling experiences at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh. His is one of several ‘In Conversation’ events that will take place this year. His many credits also include Cowboys & Aliens and Amazon’s sci-fi TV series The Expanse.

The son of emigrants from Tipperary and Cavan, Fergus grew up in an Irish-steeped community in the New York borough of Queens. As a young man, he returned on the first of several trips to meet his extended family. 

“Mom (Sheila) grew up in Cavan and dad (John) in Fetherd in Tipperary. My father came over, I believe, on the week of the Kennedy assassination. What a crazy way to come to America, on the presidential assassination of someone who meant a lot to Ireland as well.” 

 The couple stayed in America to raise their young family and though he had a passion for storytelling, the young Fergus didn’t initially dare consider what can be an uncertain and precarious career. “It just felt like this thing happening out west that wasn't really accessible. The idea was to get a real job so you wouldn't put all your eggs in one basket trying to get into the film business. I went to business school in Boston University and it ended up being really useful for being in production and getting things done. But I'll admit, it was a fear-based decision.” 

Mark Fergus says trusting his inner voice was an important lesson.

 After writing story for early video games, Fergus turned to screenwriting - but he says it was connecting with screenwriting partner Hawk Ostby that proved to be a major turning point. “We've been writing together for 22 years now. He's in Vermont, I live in Los Angeles. We work from a distance. We originally met in New York working for a cable network called Showtime.

“Meeting a partner in crime doing the same thing took the loneliness out of doing the journey by yourself. When we joined forces it created a persona of the both of us that was far more clear than what we were trying to do separately. We helped focus each other up in terms of what we were trying to write and how. I think that finding someone who unlocks what you're capable of, that was really the big thing.” 

For a time, the writers were as Fergus put it: “Chasing the market” as they tried to see what was popular and emulate that. It was only when they started to write the kinds of stories they loved, in their own voices, that breakthroughs came. “It was really just such a turning point when you started to trust your own inner voice - and really what else do you have as a writer? It's really the most important thing I've learned.” 

 It brought them all the way to the Oscars, nominated for Best Screenplay for Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men. The Departed was a frontrunner that year and took the Oscar but Fergus says the fact it was a favourite that it removed any sense of pressure and they were able to enjoy Oscar night.

“It's just an insane feeling of too much of everything, which is sort of the Hollywood way. It's like being in a fairy tale and everywhere you look you see someone you love and admire, and you get to go into these parties. Mickey Rooney was sitting right behind me, all these old school Hollywood titans. Just to have done it one time, and if you get to do it more than once, you’re very lucky.” 

• Mark Fergus will take part in an ‘in conversation’ virtual event with Irish screenwriter Mary Kate O’Flanagan on July 25th. For details on how to view the live stream, visit galwayfilmfleadh.com

Ones to watch: Fleadh preview 

Love Yourself Today

Ross Killeen’s documentary centres around the music of Irish singer/songwriter Damien Dempsey but also trains its lens on his fans. For them, Dempsey’s annual Christmas gigs in Dublin’s Vicar Street have become a cathartic and emotional experience. The film introduces audiences to some of them and tells their stories.

Foscadh (Shelter)

Seán Breathnach’s Irish-language feature is based on characters from Donal Ryan’s award-winning novel The Thing About December. Dónall Ó Héalaí is John, a naive recluse who is suddenly propelled into manhood, aged 28, when his overprotective parents pass away.

Who We Love

Graham Cantwell’s feature is set around LGBT+ themes first explored in his award-winning short, Lily. It tells the story of a young student on the cusp of womanhood who navigates the treacherous waters of school life as she prepares to reveal a secret.

Bicycle Thieves: Pumped Up

Maeve Higgins is among the cast of this Irish comedy about a hot-headed pizza delivery cyclist in Dublin. Conor O’Toole’s feature centres on Mags, struggling with her job and the growing costs of city life. When her trusty bike is stolen, she vows to hunt down the thief.

Beasts (Le Terre des Hommes)

Praised on the festival circuit for its strong performances, Beasts tells the story of a young woman’s ambitions to modernise her father’s farm which is on the brink of bankruptcy. She appeals for assistance to the local farm board, only to discover his unwelcome desire for her is to become part of the proposal.