If we’re to believe Entertainment Weekly, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the replacement of Terrence Howard as James Rhodes in Iron Man 2.
According to the magazine, which relies on anonymous sources such as “those with intimate knowledge of the situation,” the reasons for Howard’s departure predate his reported “difficult behavior” on the set: He was not only the first actor signed on to Iron Man, but the highest paid.
Yes, Howard made more than star Robert Downey Jr. and co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges. And once the cast came together, it was too late to renegotiate Howard’s contract.
EW also reports that, “according to one source,” director Jon Favreau and the producers were uhappy with Howard’s performance — so much so that Favreau and co-writer Justin Theroux planned to minimize Rhodey’s part in the sequel. Learning of the reduced role, Marvel Studios reportedly went to Howard’s agents with a commensurate salary — “amounting to “somewhere between a 50 and 80 percent pay cut” — closer to what the supporting cast was paid for the first movie.
EW notes that it’s unclear which side walked away first. However, the result was Marvel replacing Howard with Don Cheadle, who signed on for Iron Man 2 and “subsequent installments of the Iron Man franchise,” plus The Avengers.
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:05 am
I still have no feelings one way or the other about Howard vs. Cheadle in the role, but it’s shocking to learn that Howard got paid more than any of the other main characters. Jeff Bridges is simply a big-time movie star and a household name, Downey’s the lead, and Paltrow’s a pretty big name herself.
I don’t dislike Howard at all, but he’s not the star any of those other three are, and his role in IM certainly doesn’t justify getting paid more than those others. Rhodey really didn’t anything in the movie. A scene was filmed with him slamming his car into Iron Monger, helping to save Tony, but that was cut (it’s with the deleted scenes on the DVD).
I wonder what Cheadle’s going to be paid, in comparison?
November 3rd, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Given most accounts about Howard’s personality and some of the more bizarre statements he’s made in interviews, it wouldn’t surprise me that most people would find him difficult to work with. Reading interviews with him, he comes off as more than a bit of a narcissist, and that coupled with the fact that he won an Academy Award can be a pretty good explanation as to why he would have asked to be paid more than anyone else.
Once you win an Oscar, you’ve got a lot more leverage in movies and can cause a lot of trouble for the directors.
Another recent example of this phenomenon would be Jamie Foxx on Miami Vice, who demanded a private plane at all times, more money than Colin Farrell despite Farrell playing the lead, and then refused to go to the location to film the final sequence as written, necessitating last minute rewrites that completely changed the end of the movie. Of course, Miami Vice was a complete flop, so we don’t have to worry about a sequel in that case.
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:18 pm
If this is true, then Marvel screwed up in the first place by giving him such a contract when Rhodes is only a supporting role.
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Did Howard win? I thought he was just a nominee. I’m too lazy to look it up.
November 3rd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I don’t think Howard won an oscar, he was just nominated and it was for a pretty awful movie.
November 4th, 2008 at 12:51 am
Reading comprehension, people. Re-read what Kevin wrote: they hired Howard FIRST, before any other cast members. Dumb move on Marvel’s part? Sure, but don’t forget, IM was their first solo gig. They probably expected to pay MORE for the other actors, then realized they had overpaid for a supporting role.
Bridges isn’t a star. He’s a fine actor, but he’s never been a star (i.e., he’s not a commercial draw). For all her talents, Gyneth Paltrow in a movie doesn’t guarantee positive box office returns. Likewise with Downey, Jr., a talented actor who’s been in few commercial hits (if any) before IM. AND let’s not forget, Downey, Jr.’s cachet as a leading man took a huge hit in the 90s and early 00s, due to his drug abuse and incarceration.
April 26th, 2009 at 2:40 am
Wrong Mel Valentin. Jeff Bridges is a star and for a long time. You’ve got to be a pompous a$$ yourself.