The 'Best Man Holiday' star says the Iron Man depicter could have saved him from getting fired from the sequel but the actor chose not to.
- Nov 16, 2013
AceShowbiz - Terrence Howard discussed the reason why he didn't reprise his role in "Iron Man 2". He revealed the drama behind his cut from the tentpole franchise during a recent appearance on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live", saying that his statement was "going to get me into a lot of trouble."
"It turns out that the person that I helped become Iron Man, when it was time to [...] re-up for the second one took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out," he said. "We did a three-picture deal. So that means, you did the deal ahead of time. It was going to be a certain amount for the first one, a certain amount for the second, certain amount for the third."
"They came to me [for] the second and said, 'We will pay you one-eighth of what we contractually had for you, because we think the second one will be successful with or without you.' And I called my friend that I helped get the first job, and he didn't call me back for three months," he continued.
The "Prisoners" actor didn't mention any name. When host Andy Cohen asked how his relationship with Robert Downey Jr. was now, he seemingly deadpanned, "Oh, I love him. God's gonna bless him."
In the first "Iron Man" film, Howard played Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, a U.S. Air Force member and a close friend to Tony Stark (Downey Jr.). The character, which got his own tricked-out suit in the sequel, was later portrayed by Don Cheadle.
It's not the first time Howard talked about his exit from the superhero movie. He once told Parade magazine, "Marvel made a choice, and it was a very, very bad choice. They didn't keep their word. They didn't honor my contract. They produced a great bounty with the first one but they put it all in the storehouse and you were not allowed in."
"They did the same thing with Gwyneth Paltrow, from what I've been told. They did with almost everyone except Robert Downey. One of the things that actors need to learn to do is always stick together, one for all and all for one," he added.
Contrary to his bitter feelings towards Downey Jr., Howard had nothing but love for Cheadle who helped him land a part in 2004's Oscar winner "Crash". "I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the movie," he said back then. "I want to see Don Cheadle become me. No, I want him to do better than me. That's what I really want to see. Don Cheadle was the reason I got Crash, so I have a lot of love for him."
Howard's latest film "The Best Man Holiday" has just been released in theaters across the country. His next movies include "Lullaby" and "Sabotage".
