Entertainment
Original Iron Man star says Robert Downey Jr ‘didn’t return his calls’ after he was recast-Joel Harley-Entertainment – Metro
The actor played James Rhodes in 2008’s Iron Man.
Rhodey was Tony Stark’s best friend in the early MCU (Picture: Shutterstock)
Former Iron Man star Terrence Howard has revealed how he felt betrayed by Robert Downey Jr. after his role was recast.
The actor, 55, played Tony Stark’s friend James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes in 2008’s Iron Man – the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, the role was recast, and Howard did not return for the film’s 2010 sequel, with Marvel claiming that the actor had been difficult to work with.
Going forward, Rhodes was played by Don Cheadle, appearing in sequels and spin-offs Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame and the TV series Secret Invasion.
Speaking to Joe Rogan on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, Howard revealed how his being dropped from the MCU affected his friendship with star Robert Downey Jr, 59.
‘We did a three picture deal with Marvel,’ the actor revealed. ‘A three picture deal. $4.5 million to $5 million for the first one, $7.5-8 for the second one, $12 million for the third. We signed it.’
Howard played Colonel James Rhodes in 2008’s Iron Man (Picture: Shutterstock)
Actor Terrence Howard has opened up about the circumstances surrounding his Marvel departure (Picture: Wireimage)
He claims that Marvel called his agent and told him they wanted him back for the sequel – but with reduced pay, allegedly saying: ‘We want Terrence but we want him to come back for a million dollars instead of the eight million that we had agreed to.’
Howard went on to reveal that his agent had an ‘an emotional reaction to a business decision,’ and swore at the Marvel representative, hanging up the phone. He says that the studio then invented stories of his set behaviour.
‘Instead they had to spin, “Oh he was terrible on set and all of these things,”‘ the actor said.
He says that he then tried to call Downey Jr, who did not return his calls.
Howard claims that he helped Robert Downey Jr. score his signature role (Picture: Shutterstock)
‘Well when this other thing happened, I’m calling Robert and he’s doing Sherlock Holmes, I called him 27 times and I leave a message I’m calling his assistant, I’m like I need the help I gave you, I didn’t hear from him until three years later I bumped into him at Brian Grazer’s wedding,’ Howard said.
‘And at that time I’d had Empire and he was like, “Oh everything worked out for you,”‘ he continued, referring to the 2015 drama series which Howard starred in for five seasons.
‘That broke me a little bit. But I know how hard Robert had it coming out of that jail and so if I had to sacrifice myself in order for that…’ he finished.
The role was recast, with Don Cheadle playing Rhodey for the film’s 2010 sequel (Picture: Shutterstock)
Earlier in the interview, Howard revealed how he was instrumental in helping Downey Jr. score the role of Tony Stark, putting in a good word for the star with Marvel.
‘I said instead of the four-and-a-half you want to give me, why don’t you take a million dollars for the [insurance] bond for him if he gets it and let him audition,’ he told Rogan.
Downey Jr. ultimately got the part, going on to appear in nine Marvel films, from Iron Man to the character’s death in Avengers: Endgame. Since then, the once-controversial star won an Oscar for his performance in the Christopher Nolan hit Oppenheimer, playing Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss.
Downey and Cheadle went on to appear in eight more Marvel projects together, leaving Howard in the dust (Picture: Shutterstock)
Prior to his career comeback as an Avenger, Downey Jr’s career hit the rocks after a series of arrests and controversies related to his heavy drug use through 1996 until 2001.
After several stints in prison and rehab, the star became clean, with his comeback beginning with such films as The Singing Detective, Gothika and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
His prior bad behaviour meant that studios had to pay a high insurance bond if they wanted to use him, due to the potential risk of having the actor on set.
Howard, meanwhile, went on to recover from his MCU exit, starring as former gangster Lucious Lyon in 102 episodes of Empire and films such as Prisoners, St. Vincent and, uh, Movie 43.
Howard has since put his feud with Downey Jr. to rest – but doesn’t appear to have any love for Iron Man or the Avengers, according to an interview he gave in 2018.
Metro.co.uk has contacted representatives of Robert Downey Jr and Marvel Studios for comment.
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