There is an old Hollywood saying that goes, “Never talk about the size of the salary or the size of the d*ck.” I’m paraphrasing – there are a lot of different ways it goes, and sometimes the “golden rule” changes. I’ve heard that many stars believe the golden rule is “Never talk about what you passed on, or why you were passed over.” One rule that I hope catches on is “Thou shall not criticize your own films, ’tis bad form.”

Anyway, Terrence Howard sort of broke one of the variations on the golden rule. He’s publicly criticizing the producers of Iron Man for recasting the part he originated, Col. Jim Rhodes. At the time of the casting shake-up, there was a rumor Terrence was jettisoned because of salary and attitude disputes – according to some reports, Terrence got a huge paycheck from the first film (more than Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, and perhaps on par with what Robert Downey Jr. got), and was demanding an increase for the sequel.

Terrence is trying to clear the air (re: save face). He tells Parade Magazine (story via OK! Magazine) that the producers made a “very, very bad choice” and they didn’t honor his contract. He also claims producers short-changed everyone except for Robert Downey, Jr.

After the runaway success of last summer’s Iron Man, it came as a big surprise to many that one of the film’s big stars, Terrence Howard, had been replaced for the currently filming sequel by Don Cheadle. Now, the Hustle & Flow star is speaking out about the situation — and he’s not happy.

In a new interview on Parade.com, Terrence says that the producers of the film, “made a choice, and it was a very, very bad choice. They didn’t keep their word. They didn’t honor my contract. They produced a great bounty with the first one but they put it all in the storehouse and you were not allowed in.”

And, at least according to Terrence, he wasn’t the only one getting short-changed by the filmmakers. “They did the same thing with Gwyneth Paltrow, from what I’ve been told,” he claims. “They did it with almost everyone except Robert Downey.”

All bad feelings aside, Terrence says he doesn’t plan on letting his sour grapes get the best of him. “I believe in karma. When someone does something wrong, you don’t have to get them back,” he explains. “Everything right will return the favor for you.”

From OK! Magazine

I go back and forth on Terrence Howard – I think he’s a really talented actor, but he seems like he may be a jerk in real life. I think parts of his story are probably correct, and parts of the “official” version are probably right too. My guess is that the producers probably were underpaying Gwyneth and Terrence’s salaries, but their biggest problem with Terrence is that he had “attitude problems” – meaning he didn’t just shut his mouth and take whatever salary was offered. And enough with the karma talk!

Images are stills from Iron Man, thanks to Allmoviephoto