March 23, 2007
By Veronica Mixon
After being called “the next hot actor” for many years, Terrence
Howard has finally arrived! Since his explosive performance 2004’s
Crash and a poignant portrayal as a pimp with ambitions to be
a singer in Hustle & Flow the following year, anyone who
hadn’t noticed the handsome actor before, has been checking out
his every move. Since his earliest appearance in movies like Mrs.
Holland’s Opus, Dead Presidents and The Best Man,
Howard has dazzled audiences with his charm and ruthless allure that speaks
to the darker side of human nature.
The 38-year-old actor, who was born Terrence Dashon Howard in Chicago,
Illinois, watched his great-grandmother, Minnie Gentry as a child perform
on Broadway. He says he adored the power of movies from an early age and
his work extends from television -- Lackawanna Blues and Soul
Food -- to the big screen with appearances in dozens of films like
Ray, Idlewild and Four Brother.
In his latest film, Pride, Howard portrays
real life coach, Jim Ellis, who created a swim team at a run down community
center in Philadelphia in the mid-1980s and has gone on to inspire dozens
of urban children into seeking the best of themselves. When I spoke with
the actor, who lives outside of Philadelphia to be near his three kids
and a wife he’s still wooing despite rumors of a romance with Naomi
Campbell, he was forthright, intense and passionate as he talked about
his career.
THE INTERVIEW
How did you heard about this film project?
My producing partner, Victoria Fredericks brought this to me as a potential
after Oscar film because I wanted to do something different, you know.
Most of the things that I’ve done have been pretty gritty. I kind
of gravitate toward the darker issues that face humanity. So, it’s
nice to be part of something light and inspirational. And, I don’t
mean light in its message but light in its effect upon people.
This is your first time as executive producer. Did you enjoy
it?
No, I’ve executive produced 3 kids! [Laughs] As far as cinematic
endeavors, this was my very first and I took it very seriously. We started
off with 73 page script that was in no way a reflection of this man’s
life and having that title of executive privilege, it gave me the authority
to make the necessary changes and to bring in the truth as I saw it; as
I learned from Jim Ellis and his students that have become coaches themselves.
[They] gave me that right to shed a little more light.
What changes to script did you make?
It was very heavy on the comedy and lacked a little of those messages
that are suppose to carry you into the future. That is what Jim is known
for. If the movie fails, it’s on my shoulders because I took some
privileges that I thought were necessary as a young Black man trying to
inspire not just Black children but the entire human race to be responsible
and remember your accountability to everyone.
Could you talk about your first meeting with Jim and how it influenced
you.
My first meeting with Jim – he asked me, ‘why do you want
to play my life?’ And, I didn’t have the heart to tell him
that Lions Gate was going to pay me a whole lot of money to play his life.
But, there was something extremely piercing about his question and the
intention of it. And, I found myself falling into this composure. I began
to wonder coming there from the Oscars and worrying about what was happening
in my personal life and ‘damn, they got me meeting this man and
I want to go home.’ Whatever anxieties I had dissipated and there
was a calmness that came over me because he was honest and he was real.
His voice was so soft but the energy of the voice was so assertive and
I wondered, where did he get his power from. I knew then how he could
motivate kids. When I was in New Orleans, I was going to practice there.
One of the coaches was an elderly white man and he said, ‘I use
to race against Jim. He’s raised some good men.’ So, that
became the motivation. It was a selfishly generated desire. I wanted to
have his power.
When did you decide to become an actor?
The moment I saw the impact. I wanted to be Superman. I wanted to fly.
I wanted to be Elliot in E.T. I wanted that power. I believed
you get to the movies and magic happens. And, I didn’t realize that
actors create the magic. My great grandmother – I saw her do a one-woman
show in New York. She sat in the middle of the stage with nothing but
a folding chair and by the end of 45 minutes, I could swear that she had
spoken to 20 people – sent her mentally handicap son to a home,
cooked up some green beans and sweet potatoes, had cleaned out half of
her oven and kitchen and broke a couple of dishes. I could hear the dishes
cracking. Although all she did was sit there on that stage. I wanted that
power. I am a power monger! Like I wanted the power that Jim had! And,
I want all of you to have the power that I have!
Why do love doing inspirational films?
It’s overcoming that which seems daunting; that which seems it could
break you beyond belief. It’s recognizing that each one of us was
made in God’s image. And, as made in God’s image, we have
that creative ability. All we have to do is to realize how to use them.
There are two types of people. A little difference is attitude. The big
difference is positive and negative.
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