Latest news with #Gaye
American Military News
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- American Military News
Terrence Howard passed on Marvin Gaye biopic because crooner ‘was gay'
Terrence Howard insists he isn't homophobic even while revealing he turned down a Marvin Gaye biopic because he 'could not' portray the late Grammy winner's rumored gay identity. The Oscar nominee, 56, told Bill Maher's 'Club Random' podcast this week that he was approached by 'Empire' co-creator Lee Daniels to play the 'Sexual Healing' crooner. 'Well you know what happened with that, I was over at Quincy Jones' house and I'm not dropping names, I'm just giving credibility,' said Howard. 'So I'm asking Quincy, I'm hearing rumors that Marvin was gay … and was he gay? And Quincy's like, yes. He went around it with everything. And I'm like, I could not do that.' 'You mean you couldn't kiss a guy on-screen?' asked the 'Real Time' host, 69. 'No, 'cause I don't fake it,' said 'The Best Man' actor. 'That would f– me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.' Maher conceded he too could not kiss a man, which 'doesn't make me homophobic. … We all have our own …' trailing off. 'Do what you love to do but don't … aim it at me. And I can't play that character 100%. I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand. So that's the end part of that story,' said Howard. 'I can certainly understand it. I'm just not of it,' said Maher. 'Homosexuality is in nature.' Gaye was twice married, to Anna Gordy from 1964 to 1977 and Janis Hunter, from 1977 to 1981. Hunter inspired the 1974 song, 'Jan.' Jones, who died late last year, reportedly told Vulture in 2018 that Marlon Brando would 'f– anything,' and had sexual relations with Gaye. Despite Jones' assertions, Gaye never publicly confirmed nor denied his sexuality, People reports. Howard's remarks come just weeks after telling the 'PBD Podcast' that he kept his 'man card' after Sean 'Diddy' Combs allegedly 'tried to f–' him. Next week kicks off 55-year-old Combs' federal trial for sex trafficking and racketeering. ___ © 2025 New York Daily News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Black America Web
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Terrence Howard Refused Marvin Gaye Biopic Role Because He Wouldn't Kiss A Man, Social Media Has Thoughts
Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Terrence Howard has played many impactful roles, including his Oscar-nominated turn as DJay in Hustle and Flow, playing Quentin in The Best Man movies, and his soapy turn as Lucious Lyon in Empire. But there's one major role he could have played that he turned down. On Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, Howard revealed that he met with Smokey Robinson to discuss playing him in a movie. He says he told Robinson that at the time, he was already committed to playing troubled superstar Marvin Gaye in a biopic directed by Empire creator Lee Daniels. But Howard says that he ultimately turned down the role as it would have delved into Gaye's rumored gay relationships. According to Howard, '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?' And Quincy's like, 'Yes.'' He added, 'They would've wanted to do that, and I wouldn't have been able to do that. I don't fake it. That would f-ck me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.' The 56-year-old says that he's not 'homophobic,' it's just that he doesn't want to play a role so far from who he is. (His words.) 'I can't play that character 100%,' Howard said. 'I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand.' Gaye was married twice and has two children. No one has come forward after his death to confirm a same-sex relationship, except Jones, who alluded to it in an instantly controversial 2018 Vulture interview, where he also said a major celebrity faked his own death, that he knew who killed JFK and that he once scored drugs from Malcolm X before he became the Nation of Islam leader. It's unclear if the Daniels-helmed biopic was ever an official project. Law & Order star Jesse L. Martin was once supposed to play Gaye in a movie about his life, but the project fizzled. Gaye's three children, Nona, Frankie and Marvin Jr. own the rights to his estate and music and its unknown if any other active projects are being done on the late legend. Gaye was shot and killed by his father, Marvin Gay, Sr. (his son added the 'e' for his professional name) on April 1, 1984, a day before his 45th birthday. It's believed that the strained father/son relationship had worsened over the years, despite Gaye moving in with his parents. The senior Gay shot his son at close range after an argument. See how social media is reacting to Howard turning down the role below. Terrence Howard Refused Marvin Gaye Biopic Role Because He Wouldn't Kiss A Man, Social Media Has Thoughts was originally published on
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Terrence Howard Turned Down Marvin Gaye Biopic Because He Didn't Want to Kiss a Man: 'I Would Cut My Lips Off'
Terrence Howard missed out on the chance to play both Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye in biopics but for different reasons. He calls passing on the former the 'biggest mistake' of his career, saying on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast that he declined the offer from Robinson himself because he was already talking with Lee Daniels about playing Gaye in another biopic. More from The Hollywood Reporter Universal Music Group Posts $3.3B In Revenue for First Quarter DJ Khaled Launches Joint Ventures With Influence Media Partners Mike Peters, Frontman of Welsh Band The Alarm, Dies of Cancer at 66 Maher agreed that was the right call, saying Gaye's life story was 'much more interesting' and that Howard 'would've been perfect as Marvin Gaye, and that is a story that needs to be told.' But Howard didn't end up portraying Gaye either. '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 said. 'And Quincy's like, 'Yes.'' That was a dealbreaker for Howard, he told Maher. 'They would've wanted to do that, and I wouldn't have been able to do that,' Howard said of playing a gay man. Maher asked, 'You mean you couldn't kiss a guy on screen in a movie?' Howard replied, 'No. Because I don't fake it.' 'That would fuck me,' Howard added. 'I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.' The Empire star added, 'It does not make me homophobic to not want to kiss a man.' Howard explained that it was more a matter of committing to the role than anything else. 'I can't play that character 100 percent,' Howard said. 'I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand.' Gaye, who was shot and killed by his father in 1984, never publicly came out and was married twice, to Anna Gordy and then to Janis Hunter. Still, he faced speculation about his sexuality, and it's been said that he added the 'e' to the end of his name in part to dispel such rumors. And in the biography Divided Soul, Gaye is quoted as saying, 'Sexually, men don't interest me.' Jones, however, made headlines in a 2018 interview when he claimed that Gaye and Richard Pryor slept with Marlon Brando. Reps for Howard and Daniels have not yet responded to The Hollywood Reporter's requests for comment. Best of The Hollywood Reporter "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Terrence Howard passed on Marvin Gaye biopic because crooner ‘was gay'
Terrence Howard insists he isn't homophobic even while revealing he turned down a Marvin Gaye biopic because he 'could not' portray the late Grammy winner's rumored gay identity. The Oscar nominee, 56, told Bill Maher's 'Club Random' podcast this week that he was approached by 'Empire' co-creator Lee Daniels to play the 'Sexual Healing' crooner. 'Well you know what happened with that, I was over at Quincy Jones' house and I'm not dropping names, I'm just giving credibility,' said Howard. 'So I'm asking Quincy, I'm hearing rumors that Marvin was gay … and was he gay? And Quincy's like, yes. He went around it with everything. And I'm like, I could not do that.' 'You mean you couldn't kiss a guy on-screen?' asked the 'Real Time' host, 69. 'No, 'cause I don't fake it,' said 'The Best Man' actor. 'That would f– me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.' Maher conceded he too could not kiss a man, which 'doesn't make me homophobic. … We all have our own …' trailing off. 'Do what you love to do but don't … aim it at me. And I can't play that character 100%. I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand. So that's the end part of that story,' said Howard. 'I can certainly understand it. I'm just not of it,' said Maher. 'Homosexuality is in nature.' Gaye was twice married, to Anna Gordy from 1964 to 1977 and Janis Hunter, from 1977 to 1981. Hunter inspired the 1974 song, 'Jan.' Jones, who died late last year, reportedly told Vulture in 2018 that Marlon Brando would 'f– anything,' and had sexual relations with Gaye. Despite Jones' assertions, Gaye never publicly confirmed nor denied his sexuality, People reports. Howard's remarks come just weeks after telling the 'PBD Podcast' that he kept his 'man card' after Sean 'Diddy' Combs allegedly 'tried to f–' him. Next week kicks off 55-year-old Combs' federal trial for sex trafficking and racketeering.
Los Angeles Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Terrence Howard didn't play Marvin Gaye because he couldn't kiss a man: ‘I don't fake it'
'Do what you love, but don't do it at me, don't aim it at me.' That's Terrence Howard talking about gay men while explaining why he never portrayed singer Marvin Gaye onscreen. He planned at one point to portray Gaye in a movie helmed by 'Empire' executive producer Lee Daniels, Howard told Bill Maher on the 'Club Random' podcast released Sunday. Then he was taken out to dinner and asked to star in a movie about the life of Smokey Robinson — by Smokey Robinson himself. Howard had to turn the 'Cruisin'' singer down because he was 'being faithful' to Daniels. 'I had given my word as a man, I'm gonna do this with you.' 'The biggest mistake I made in my career,' Howard told Maher as the two were getting high together. The actor didn't say exactly when this went down, but added, 'He wanted me to play his life ... I had to tell them [no] at the table and it broke his heart.' But playing Gaye wasn't to be either. Maher called it 'a shame' because he said Gaye's life story was much more dramatic. 'I'm sorry, drama's drama, and there's a lot more drama in getting killed by your dad,' the 'Real Time' host said. 'That's a story ... that's much more interesting and Marvin Gaye, like, you would have been perfect as Marvin Gaye. And that is a story that needs to be told.' Then Howard, who has been married four times, to three different women, decided to explain why he also didn't play the twice-married 'Sexual Healing' singer. 'I was over at Quincy Jones' house — and I'm not dropping names, I'm just giving credibility about what I'm saying — I'm asking Quincy, I'm hearing rumors that Marvin was gay ... and I'm like, 'Was he gay?' and Quincy is like, 'Yes.'' Insert mic drop here. Gaye told a biographer in 1982 that he wasn't interested in men and the singer's younger sister Zeola Gaye was not at all pleased when Jones alluded to her brother's sexuality in a 2018 interview. 'They would have wanted to do that and I wouldn't have been able to do that,' Howard said. 'You mean, you couldn't kiss a guy on screen in a movie?' Maher asked. 'No, 'cause I don't fake it,' the Oscar-nominated 'Hustle & Flow' actor replied. 'That would f— me. I would cut my lips off. If I did that I would cut my lips off.' After the host admitted that, well, he couldn't kiss a man either — 'It does not make me homophobic to not want to kiss a man,' Maher said, 'just like lots of gay men are like, 'p—, yuck.'' Howard expanded on his reasoning. 'Do what you love, but don't do it at me, don't aim it at me,' the actor said. 'And I can't play that character 100%. I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand.' The actor, who played patriarch Lucious Lyon for six seasons on 'Empire,' declared in 2019 that he was done with acting, 'done pretending.' Since then, he's done eight movies and two miniseries.
