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Col. John M. Devillier, 88th Air Base Wing commander, left, and actor Robert Downey, Jr. talk on stage before the screening of Downey's new film, "The Judge" at the Base Theatre at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2014 in Fairborn, Ohio. Image Credit: Invision for Warner Bros. Pictures

Actor Robert Downey Jr. made a surprise appearance at an Ohio Air Force base for a screening of his new movie.

Approximately 900 military personnel and friends cheered when Downey walked into the packed theatre on Sunday at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. He was there to screen his new movie, The Judge, which doesn’t open in the US until Friday.

The Dayton Daily News reports that Downey said he wanted to stop at the base because he’s always been drawn to all things military.

He said “it’s just a way of reminding myself that there are people out there who put their lives on the line so I can go out and make movies.”

In The Judge, Downey portrays a Chicago lawyer who confronts his past in his rural Indiana hometown.