DAYTON, Ohio - 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 Sunday at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. He was there to screen his new movie, "The Judge," which doesn't open 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.