Latest news with #SexualHealing
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.
The South African
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Terrence Howard refused to play Marvin Gaye because 'he didn't want to kiss a man'
American actor Terrence Howard revealed that he turned down the opportunity to portray Marvin Gaye because he was uncomfortable with the idea of kissing another man. The 56-year-old actor admitted that rejecting Smokey Robinson's request for him to play his character was the 'biggest mistake' of his career. At that time, Howard, known for his role in 'Empire,' was already in discussions with director Lee Daniels about playing Gaye, known for the hit song 'Sexual Healing.' During an appearance on Bill Maher's podcast, 'Club Random,' the actor explained that he backed out of the Gaye project after learning how the singer's sexuality would be portrayed, as per Entertainment Weekly . 'I was over at Quincy Jones's house and I'm asking Quincy, 'I'm hearing rumours that Marvin was gay' and I'm like, 'Was he gay?' And Quincy's like, 'Yes.'' 'They would've wanted to do that, and I wouldn't have been able to do that,' Howard said. Maher asked the Iron Man star if he would kiss a guy on screen in a movie, to which Howard replied, 'No, because I don't fake it.' 'That would f**k me,' he added. 'I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.' Terrence Howard insisted that he was not homophobic but felt he couldn't play the Marvin Gaye character to perfection. 'it does not make me homophobic to not want to kiss a man,' he said. 'I can't play that character 100%. I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand.' Marvin Gaye, a two-time Grammy winner, was shot and killed by his father in 1984. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
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.
The Guardian
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off': Terrence Howard explains why he declined Marvin Gaye biopic
The actor Terrence Howard has said that he declined the role of Marvin Gaye in a film, because he didn't want to kiss another man. Speaking to Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast, the actor said the 'biggest mistake' of his career was turning down the leading role in a separate biopic of the singer Smokey Robinson – which Robinson had personally asked him to play. That decision was made because he was already in talks with the director Lee Daniels to play Gaye in a film, but became alarmed when he began to learn of rumours about the Let's Get It On singer's sexuality. 'I was over at Quincy Jones's house,' Howard told Maher, 'and I'm asking Quincy, 'I'm hearing rumours that Marvin was gay' and I'm like, 'Was he gay?' And Quincy's like, 'Yes.'' Howard said that this meant he could no longer star in the film. 'They would've wanted to do that, and I wouldn't have been able to do that.' Maher clarified: 'You mean you couldn't kiss a guy on screen in a movie?' to which Howard replied: 'No. Because I don't fake it.' 'That would fuck me,' he added. 'I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.' Howard went on to say that 'it does not make me homophobic to not want to kiss a man,' and sought to clarify that he would have felt unable to sufficiently commit to the role. 'I can't play that character 100%. I can't surrender myself to a place that I don't understand.' Gaye was shot dead by his father in 1984, when the singer was 44. He did not publicly comment on his sexuality, was married twice, and had three children (one by adoption). He won a Grammy for his 1982 hit Sexual Healing, taken from the album Midnight Love. Other landmark LPs include What's Going On (1971) and Let's Get It On (1973). Howard, 56, was Oscar-nominated for his role as a pimp in the 2005 film Hustle & Flow and starred for five years in the TV show Empire. He announced his retirement in 2022 but has since appeared in a number of other projects on the big and small screen. Maher was the target of an essay written by Larry David in the New York Times last week, spoofing his fawning account of a dinner party at the White House with Donald Trump.
