Terrence Howard turned down Marvin Gaye biopic because he ‘didn’t want to kiss a man’

Terrence Howard has revealed that her turned down an opportunity to portray the late soul singer Marvin Gaye in a biopic because he didn’t want to kiss a man.

During a recent appearance on Bill Maher‘s Club Random podcast, the Empire actor, 56, said that the “biggest mistake” of his career was turning down the starring part in a Smokey Robinson biopic, a role the musician personally asked him to play.

He explained that he turned down the Robinson biopic because he was already in conversations with director Lee Daniels about playing Marvin Gaye in a separate biopic.

However, Howard claimed that he ended up turning down the Marvin Gaye biopic after Quincy Jones told him rumours that the “Got to Give it Up” singer was gay.

“I was over at Quincy Jones’ house and I’m asking Quincy, ‘I’m hearing rumours that Marvin was gay’ and I’m like, ‘Was he gay?'” Howard said. “And Quincy’s like, ‘Yes.’”

Howard said he “could not” star in the movie after hearing the rumours because he couldn’t “fake it”.

“They would’ve wanted to do that, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” he said of portraying a gay man.

Host Maher asked him: “You mean you couldn’t kiss a guy on screen in a movie?” to which Howard responded, “No. Because I don’t fake it.”

“That would f*** me,” Howard added. “I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.”

Maher said he wouldn’t go as far as Howard, but could see why he would be uncomfortable.

Howard added that it was more a matter of committing to the role, rather than his views on sexuality.

“It does not make me homophobic to not want to kiss a man,” he added.

“I can’t play that character 100 per cent. I can’t surrender myself to a place that I don’t understand.”

Gaye had not publicly commented on his sexuality. He was married to Anna Gordy from 1963 to 1975, and remarried Janis Hunter in 1977, with whom he welcomed two children. The pair divorced in November 1982.

The singer died aged 44 in 1984 after being shot by his father, Marvin Gay Sr, when he intervened in an argument with his parents.

He was best known for his 1982 Grammy-winning hit “Sexual Healing”, released on the album Midnight Love, as well as his landmark albums What’s Going On (1971) and Let’s Get It On (1973).

Howard is best known for starring as Licious Lyon in Fox’s TV series Empire, as well as 2004’s Crash and 2005’s Hustle & Flow.