When Terrence Howard made his major acting debut as one of the stars of the 1992 TV Movie The Jacksons: An American Dream, he was a background player. Over the next three decades, however, Howard would prove time and time again that he has the acting chops to become one of the most respected performers of his generation.
Eventually able to truly become a star after his eye-catching performance in 2005’s Hustle & Flow, Terrence Howard’s outstanding performance in that film also garnered a long list of awards. In the years since that film’s release, Howard would go on to be part of many popular projects including Iron Man, The Princess and the Frog, and Empire among others.
Once Terrence Howard built a truly impressive career that resulted in many mind-boggling paydays, most people assumed they would get to see him perform for many years. Unfortunately for his many fans, Howard would suddenly reveal that he was through with acting in 2019. That left many observers wondering what was really going on.
Shocking Announcement
When most entertainment correspondents get the chance to visit a movie or television set, it is bound to be a very exciting proposition for them. After all, they get to rub shoulders with famous actors and get a little-seen view of how the world’s entertainment is filmed. That said, most of the interviews that get shot during set visits aren’t very interesting since stars simply sing the praises of their project and their co-workers.
When Cheslie Kryst from the show Extra showed up on the set of Empire in 2019, there is no way she could have known that they were about to film an incredible interview. After all, during that set visit Kryst interviewed Terrence Howard and at one point she asked him about what he had in mind for his career once Empire finished filming. To the shock of virtually everyone, Howard simply answered; “Oh, I’m done with acting. I’m done pretending”.
Even though Cheslie Kryst never could have known that Terrence Howard would say something so surprising, she didn’t skip a beat in response. Thinking on her feet, Kryst asked Howard if he would be focusing on philanthropic efforts once he left acting behind. As it turns out, that wasn’t what Howard had in mind as he said; “No, not philanthropy; I’m just focusing on bringing truth to the world.”
Further Roles and Rection
Even though Terrence Howard is far from the first notable actor who has walked away from the business at the height of their career, when he announced his plans to retire people were shocked. After all, Howard was still in high demand as an actor and it was known that he was being paid a hefty amount of money to star in Empire.
Given the fact that Terrence Howard has been a movie and television star for years, you may assume that he no longer has any reasons to worry about money. However, many famous actors have gone broke over the years and Terrence Howard was dealt a huge financial blow recently. In August of 2019, Howard lost a court battle with his wife that resulted in him having to pay her $1.3 million in overdue support and interest. With that in mind and the fact that Howard will have to continue paying support, it was surprising that he was choosing to voluntarily walk away from his Hollywood paycheques.
Unique Explanation
As of the time of this writing, Terrence Howard’s IMDb page lists a trio of upcoming projects. First off, there is a film called Triumph which says that it is completed which means it is awaiting release. However, according to IMDb, Howard’s next film, Selfie, is in the process of filming and after that project is complete he has another film called Afterward that is in pre-production. In some observers’ minds, that may be proof that Howard is backtracking on his retirement plans. However, he simply could be honoring the deals he’d already made to star in those films.
Assuming that Terrence Howard sticks to his plans to retire now that Empire has concluded, fans of his will be disappointed. If they were hoping for an explanation beyond the few things he said during the aforementioned Extra set visit interview, he did elaborate during another interview, this time on the red carpet interview. Unfortunately, the things that Howard said at that point left many people more confused.
“I’ve spent 37 years pretending to be people, so that people can pretend to watch and enjoy what I’m doing. I made some discoveries in my own personal life with the science that Pythagorus was searching for I was able to open up the flower of life properly and find the real wave conjugations that we have been looking for 10,000 years. Why would I continue to walk on water for tips when I’ve got an entire generation to teach a whole new world.”