Featured Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Paramount Pictures
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV, Iron Man, Mental Health, Robert Downey Jr, Marvel, Joe Rogan, Podcast, Hollywood
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV, Iron Man, Mental Health, Robert Downey Jr, Marvel, Joe Rogan, Podcast, Hollywood
Terrence Howard has spoken out about his and Robert Downey Jr.'s relationship after he wasn't recast in Iron Man 2.
The 55-year-old starred as James Rhodes alongside Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark in the 2008 action release, however, Howard wasn't recast in the follow-up movie, and has since spoken out about how his and Downey Jr.'s relationship was affected at the time.
In an interview with Joe Rogan on his podcast the Joe Rogan Experience, Howard reflects on the time he starred in Iron Man and then 'out of nowhere that gets taken away'.
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"We did a three picture deal with Marvel," he said. "A three picture deal. $4.5 million to $5 million for the first one, $7.5-8 for the second one, $12 million for the third. We signed it."
Howard claims Marvel came back to him the week his mother died and called his agent and said: "We want Terrence but we want him to come back for a million dollars instead of the eight million that we had agreed to."
Howard says his agent had 'an emotional reaction to a business decision,' swore at the Marvel representative and hung up the phone, with Marvel later going to Cheadle for the role.
"But instead they had to spin, 'Oh he was terrible on set and all of these things,'" Howard claims, noting he then decided to give Downey Jr. a call.
He continues: "I'm calling him because when I was doing The Brave One (2007) with Jodie Foster, Susan Downey was a producer with Joe Silver.
"She comes over to my trailer and she's like, 'Wow it's so amazing, congratulations on [the first] Iron Man, it's the first time they've hired the second lead before they've hired the first."
She allegedly said that Downey Jr. 'really want[ed] to go in but they [wouldn't] see him' and so Howard - who said he 'loved' Downey Jr. - called the producer on the film and allegedly convinced them to let Downey Jr. audition.
"I said instead of the four-and-a-half you want to give me, why don't you take a million dollars for the bond for him if he gets it and let him audition." he claimed
Downey Jr. ultimately got the part, and Howard recalls him saying he 'love[d]' him and thanking him.
"Well when this other thing happened, I'm calling Robert and he's doing Sherlock Holmes, I called him 27 times and I leave a message I'm calling his assistant, I'm like I need the help I gave you, I didn't hear from him until three years later I bumped into him at Brian Grazer's wedding.
"And at that time I'd had Empire and he was like, 'Oh everything worked out for you'"
"That broke me a little bit. But I know how hard Robert had it coming out of that jail and so if I had to sacrifice myself in order for that..."
Howard later quotes his wife, noting his acting career would be 'just a footnote' in his life and so it doesn't sound like he holds any ill-will towards Downey Jr.
In 2010, he also praised Downey Jr. to E! Online and said Don Cheadle - who took over the role of Rhodes - 'wanted to play that part before [he] did so everything is very well'.
However, in an interview with Hollywood.com in 2015, he said the 'worst thing' he 'witnessed was Iron Man killing [his] career'.
Although, he added to Desde Hollywood: [Translation] "I love the fact that Iron Man put me on a world stage and tested my strength of character.
"I chose not to fight back, not to deal with the allegations, but to continue forward and do what I had to do. I had to start all over: went from making $6 million a movie, back to $60 thousand a movie.
"But as long as you don't give up you are able ... I'll make $20 million soon. Because I have learned the lessons of yesterday."
UNILAD has contacted Robert Downey Jr.'s representatives and Marvel for comment.