Terrence Howard passed on Marvin Gaye biopic because he ‘would've had' to kiss a man: ‘I would cut my lips off'

New York Post

29-04-2025

What's going on?
Terrence Howard says he turned down playing Marvin Gaye in a Lee Daniels-directed biopic after being told that the late singer was gay.
The 'Iron Man' star, 56, shared the revelation on Sunday's episode of Bill Maher's 'Club Random' podcast.
The conversation turned to Gaye after Howard confessed the 'biggest mistake' of his career was not portraying Smokey Robinson in a movie about the Motown icon.
9 Terrence Howard says he turned down playing Marvin Gaye in a Lee Daniels-directed biopic after being told that the late singer was gay.
Club Random Podcast
9 The 'Iron Man' star, 56, shared the revelation on Sunday's episode of Bill Maher's 'Club Random' podcast.
Club Random Podcast
9 The conversation turned to Gaye after Howard confessed the 'biggest mistake' of his career was not portraying Smokey Robinson in a movie about the Motown icon.
Club Random Podcast
Though Robinson, 85, asked Howard to play him, the actor said he was in the midst of a 'conversation with Lee Daniels about playing Marvin Gaye.'
Maher, 69, argued that the narrative of the 'Sexual Healing' hitmaker's life was 'much more interesting' than Robinson's, and that Howard 'would've been perfect as Marvin Gaye, and that is a story that needs to be told.'
However, Howard — who starred on Daniels' TV series 'Empire' — grew cold on Daniels' biopic after a conversation with legendary record producer Quincy Jones.
9 Though Robinson, 85, asked him to play him, Howard said he was in the midst of a 'conversation with Lee Daniels about playing Marvin Gaye.'
Getty Images
9 However, the actor — who starred on Daniels' TV series 'Empire' — grew cold on the biopic after a conversation with legendary record producer Quincy Jones.
CR: Chuck Hodes/FOX
'I was over at Quincy Jones' house and I'm asking Quincy, 'I'm hearing rumors that Marvin was gay' and I'm like, 'Was he gay?'' Howard recalled asking Jones, who passed away in November.
'And Quincy's like, 'Yes.''
Howard then decided he 'could not' star in Daniels' movie.
'They would've wanted to do that, and I wouldn't have been able to do that,' he said of portraying a gay person.
9 'I was over at Quincy Jones' house and I'm asking Quincy, 'I'm hearing rumors that Marvin was gay' and I'm like, 'Was he gay?'' Howard recalled asking Jones, who passed away in November. 'And Quincy's like, 'Yes.''
AP
9 Howard then decided he 'could not' star in Daniels' movie. 'They would've wanted to do that, and I wouldn't have been able to do that,' he said of playing a gay character.
Getty Images
Maher interjected, 'You mean you couldn't kiss a guy on screen in a movie?'
Howard replied, 'No. Because I don't fake it.'
The 'Real Time' host said he 'couldn't kiss a man either.'
Howard continued, 'That would f—k me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.'
9 Maher interjected, 'You mean you couldn't kiss a guy on screen in a movie?' Howard replied, 'No. Because I don't fake it.'
WireImage
9 Howard continued, 'That would f—k me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.'
Maher laughed off the hyperbole of Howard's remark.
'I would not do that. It does not make me homophobic to not want to kiss a man,' the former 'Politically Incorrect' MC said.
'Do what you love to do but don't aim it at me. And I can't play that character 100 percent. I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand,' Howard went on.
During his brief life, Gaye did not come out as either gay or bisexual, and there are scant few accounts claiming he shared sexual or romantic relationships with other men.
Jones, however, did imply that the 'Let's Get It On' singer had a dalliance with Marlon Brando.
'He was the most charming motherf—ker you ever met,' Jones said of the 'Godfather' star in a 2018 interview with Vulture.
'He'd f—k anything. Anything! He'd f—k a mailbox. James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye,' he added.