Terrence Howard seems to think he was booted from the MCU for threatening a producer, admitting he told them he was going to “knock your teeth out of your mouth.”
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On a recent episode of the PBD Podcast, the Iron Man actor recalled an alleged conflict with producer Joel Silver at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. While promoting their movie The Brave One, Howard, who played a detective hunting a vigilante killer (Jodie Foster), was asked about his billing in the film.
A reporter asked Howard why he didn’t receive the same credit as Foster. Howard, who had just received an Oscar nomination for Hustle & Flow, began to wonder the same thing. Apparently, word of his frustration got back to Silver.
“Joel Silver came and had a conversation with me, and he’s like, ‘The reason your name isn’t above the titles is because you’re not the star of this thing — it’s Jodie. And if you get nominated for an Oscar, it’s going to be for Supporting Actor, not Best Actor,'” Howard recalled. “And I was like, ‘Thank you for telling me that, now I understand. But, you have to remember that I’m a man just like you, and if you ever talk to me in that way again, I’m going to knock your teeth out of your mouth.'”
Silver’s producing partner on The Brave One was Susan Downey, the wife of Howard’s Iron Man costar, Robert Downey Jr
“Eight months later, I lose Iron Man,” Howard claimed. “And I’m sure that all of those things played their part.”
Terrence Howard Was Cast in ‘Iron Man’ Before Robert Downey Jr
Terrence Howard was the first actor cast in Jon Favreau’s 2008 film Iron Man, playing James “Rhodey” Rhodes, friend and partner to Tony Stark. However, before the 2010 sequel, Don Cheadle took over the role.
Howard has previously stated he was dropped from the MCU for refusing to take a drastic pay cut, as he was initially earning more than Downey. Meanwhile, Cheadle has made multiple appearances as Rhodes across several films and TV shows.