These days, Robert Downey Jr. has got the world at his fingertips with blockbuster movies and memorable, irresistible race-changing roles. But talk of his career is always tied into his long, rocky past with the movie business. However, things weren’t always that way. Before the widely forgotten Baby It’s You, or even the likes of the jerky Ian in Weird Science, at the ripe ol’ age of 5 he showed up in his dad’s film Pound, as “Puppy.”

The 1970 film focused on a pound where 18 dogs were hoping to be adopted — the twist being that they were all played by humans. Robert is, of course, one of the uber-cute, young pups that wanna-be dog owners drool over, and yes, he’s saying what you think he’s saying. Robert was super-classy and snarky even back then.

We finally get to see his Kirk Lazarus this week, but that’s not all Downey has planned for us this year. After the light fare he’s been busy with, we’ll get to see him star opposite Jamie Foxx in The Soloist this November.