Terrence Howard Passed On Playing Marvin Gaye Because He Couldn’t Bear The Idea Of Kissing A Man

Actor Terrence Howard turned down the opportunity to play Marvin Gaye because he just couldn’t live with having to do a same-sex smooch.

During Sunday’s episode of Bill Maher‘s “Club Random” podcast, the “Empire” actor revealed that he was considering playing the Motown legend in a Lee Daniels project before he said he learned the “Sexual Healing” singer was attracted to men.

While Gaye dated and married many women during his life, his sexuality was also the subject of speculation over the years.

It was during a dinner with producer Quincy Jones that Howard learned more about the “Let’s Get It On” singer’s private life.

“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?’” he recalled. “And Quincy’s like, ‘Yes.’”

Playing a gay man was a dealbreaker for the “Hustle and Flow” actor, who told the podcast host that he “could not” take the role after Jones’ revelation.

“They would’ve wanted to do that, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that,” Howard said of getting physical with another man.

“You mean you couldn’t kiss a guy on screen in a movie?” Maher clarified.

“No. Because I don’t fake it,” the actor replied.

While Maher told Howard he felt similarly, the actor went one step further, saying, “That would fuck me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.”

But the star maintained that there was nothing bigoted about his stance, telling Maher, “It does not make me homophobic to not want to kiss a man.”

Rather, Howard said it was about being able to understand where his character was coming from.

“I can’t play that character 100%,” he explained. “I can’t surrender myself to a place that I don’t understand.”

The “Iron Man” actor said something similar during an appearance on the “PBD Podcast” earlier this month, telling host Patrick Bet-David, “I’ve lost businesses because I don’t bend over in that way. I don’t compromise. I don’t play gay roles. I don’t kiss a man. I don’t do that shit because the man card means everything.”