Terrence Howard Says He Wasn't In The 'Iron Man' Sequel Because Robert Downey Jr. Took His Paycheck

Kirsten AcunaNov 16, 2013, 00:02 IST

Bravo screencapTerrence Howard says the real reason he didn't come back to "Iron Man 2" was because of the film's star.

When watching "Iron Man 2," one of the biggest mysteries was why Terrence Howard didn't reprise his role James Rhodes (aka War Machine). There have been rumors about changes in paychecks and Howard's demeanor on set; however, the actor himself set the record straight on TV. While appearing on Andy Cohen on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live," Howard gave the low down on what really happened after a fan called in asking just that. Though he said it would get him in a lot of trouble, Howard suggested he lost his paycheck to Iron Man's leading man, Robert Downey Jr. "It turns out that the person I helped become Iron Man … when it was time to re-up for the second one took the money that was supposed to go to me and pushed me out." Howard continued, telling Cohen that he had a three-picture deal for the film and that he ended up being offered a minuscule amount for the sequel in comparison to the first film. "It was going to be a certain amount for the first film, a certain amount for the second, a certain amount for the third," said Howard. "They came to me with the second and said, 'Look we will pay you 1/8th of what we contractually had for you because we think the second one will be successful with or without you.'" Howard added: "I called my friend that I helped get the first job and he didn't call me back for three months." Watch the clip below:

Howard previously told morning radio show "Sway in the Morning" in a radio interview this spring a similar story saying he was offered about $1 million for the second film: "[I was paid] about $4.5 million [for the first film]," said Howard. "The second time, [the studio] said 'We think the movie will be successful with or without you. So, instead of the $8 million that we said we were gonna pay you, we're going to let you come back for a million dollars.' We did a three-picture deal already, [but] I forgot, I didn't know it wasn't a mutually binding contract; it was only beneficial for them and they could bring me back or not. They can honor it or not." After the first film came out in 2008, Entertainment Weekly ran a story reporting that Howard was not only the first actor signed on for the film, but also the highest paid. When time came around for a sequel, EW says that any future story lines with Howard were being shortened after not being happy with his performance in the film. As a result, he was offered a 50-80 percent pay cut from the first film. Robert Downey Jr. admitted to GQ this spring he received a big $50 million for playing Iron Man in "The Avengers" last summer. Howard told "Sway" he now makes about $60,000 per film.

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Terrence Howard Says He Wasn't In The 'Iron Man' Sequel Because Robert Downey Jr. Took His Paycheck