Would You Buy Insurance For This Man?

By By Jess Cagle/Los Angeles With Reporting By Kathleen Adams/New York

When ROBERT DOWNEY JR. was released from prison last year, Hollywood welcomed him back with movie offers, awards and ovations. Now he's facing jail or rehab for drug-related arrests in November and April, and this time, Hollywood may not be so forgiving. The problem? Movie insurance. Studios usually take out policies to cover costs if an actor goes AWOL. "The impact of losing an actor even for one day can be hundreds of thousands of dollars," says Candysse Miller of the Insurance Information Network of California. Since his first drug arrest in 1996, Downey has submitted to drug tests, taken supporting film roles (which cost less to cover) and helped pay premiums. But because his recent binge hobbled Ally McBeal, on which he had a supporting role (the season finale had to be shot without him), Downey may have priced himself out of the insurance market. "He can work again," insists his entertainment attorney, Tom Hansen, "when the time is right."

--By Jess Cagle/Los Angeles. With reporting by Kathleen Adams/New York