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

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. 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. “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.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.”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’...