Terrence Howard reminisces about an unfortunate incident that ultimately led to his loss of the role in "Iron Man 2." In an illuminating interview with the "PBD Podcast," Howard recalled his first meeting with Joel Silver, the producer of his movie "The Brave One," at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Both were there to promote their thriller action film, which starred Howard as Der. Mercer alongside Jodie Foster.
At the festival, a reporter reinforced Howard's question about the top billing, as Foster received more prominence than he was given. The thought of being treated differently frustrated him, and when it reached Silver, they sat down for a discussion. However, the outcome of the conversation turned out to be unfortunate.
Howard explained, "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.'" 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.'" The "Pride" star warned.
Everything seemed perfect after their fiery talk, but things took a dark turn "eight months later" when he lost "Iron Man 2" because "all of those things played their part." According to Entertainment Weekly, Howard was the first actor cast in 2008's "Iron Man," directed by Jon Favreau. He portrayed James Rhodes, the sidekick of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, but the second installment replaced him with his "Crash" co-star Don Cheadle. It's worth mentioning that Silver co-produced "The Brave One" with Susan Downey, the wife of Terrence Howard's "Iron Man" co-star Downey Jr.
In conclusion, Howard is recalling an unfortunate incident that ultimately cost him the role in "Iron Man 2." Despite a fiery discussion with Silver that seemed to resolve the issue, things took a turn for the worse leading to his loss of the role.
