March 6, 2026
Terrence Howard Candidly Admits His Anger Derailed Career—And Reveals The Gem Denzel Washington Gave Him
"I've had a number of opportunities," Howard said, but "my aggression" and "need to be a man" derailed them.
Terrence Howard is opening up about how his anger disrupted his acting career and the advice he once received from Denzel Washington in an effort to help him get out of his own way.
During a recent appearance on the PBD Podcast, the Hustle & Flow star opened up about a moment he says cost him his role in Marvel’s Iron Man franchise after threatening to physically assault producer Joel Silver during the press run for The Brave One.
Howard said the situation began when a reporter asked why his name wasn’t billed above the title alongside Jodie Foster.
He later confronted Silver about the placement on the movie poster. Although Silver explained that Howard had a supporting role, the actor admitted his ego was bruised and reacted aggressively, despite understanding the reasoning.
“I was like, ‘OK. Thank you for telling me that. Now I understand, but you have to remember I’m a man just like you, and if you ever talk to me in that way again, I’m gonna knock your teeth out your mouth,” Howard recalled telling the producer, in a clip shared online.
A few months later, Howard said he had lost his role as James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the Iron Man franchise and had been replaced by Don Cheadle. Howard noted that Silver’s producing partner, Susan Downey, was involved with the Marvel films, leading him to believe word of his outburst had spread throughout Hollywood.
Howard said he became aware of the negative reputation he had developed in Hollywood, recalling how Denzel Washington once pulled him aside and offered advice.
“I had a meeting with Denzel once, and he told me, he’s like, ‘Look at your hands, man. You’re always like this. Your fist all balled up.’ He said, ‘And all these producers want to do is they are trying to open your hand so they can put money in it. But you won’t do it. You keep your hands all tight like this, and you’re blowing it.’
“And this is 20 years ago,” Howard added.
As a result, Howard said he was effectively blacklisted from major theatrical film roles.
“I ended up going back into the Chitlin circuit. I was no longer being supported by the studios again,” Howard shared. “…I’ve had a number of opportunities. And you know, but my aggression, you know, my need to be a man. ‘You’re gonna, you ain’t gonna talk to me like that.’ You know, instead of learning how to diffuse and to walk away and to smile.”
The Chicago native said his struggles with controlling his anger trace back to childhood, growing up light-skinned with green eyes in an all-Black neighborhood where he was bullied and felt he had to toughen up to survive.
“I’m battling shadows from the past. You ain’t gonna punk me. You know, and it’s like I was punking myself. So that’s the hardest thing to get out of your own way to recognize,” Howard said.
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