Paramount Pictures Safe to say Terrence Howard is still pissed about being bounced from Iron Man 2.
The Oscar-nominated star played superhero sidekick Lt. Col. James Rhodes opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the original blockbuster. But then his Marvel bosses replaced Howard with Don Cheadle after a salary dispute.
"Marvel made a choice, and it was a very, very bad choice. They didn't keep their word. They didn't honor my contract," Howard tells Parade magazine. "They produced a great bounty with the first one but they put it all in the storehouse and you were not allowed in.
"They did the same thing with Gwyneth Paltrow, from what I've been told. They did with almost everyone except Robert Downey. One of the things that actors need to learn to do is always stick together, one for all and all for one."
But he's not bitter or anything...
The 40-year-old Hustle & Flow star has a good reason to be angry, given that his character's role in the sequel is expected to expand, getting his own tricked-out suit to become the hero War Machine.
"I've seen the [Iron Man 2] script, I know what's going to happen, but I'm not revealing anything. I believe in karma. When someone does something wrong, you don't have to get them back. Everything right will return the favor for you."
Still, Howard harbors no ill will for Cheadle, who gave Howard one of the biggest breaks of his career by helping him land a part in 2004's Best Picture winner Crash.
"I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the movie," says Howard. "I want to see Don Cheadle become me. No, I want him to do better than me. That's what I really want to see. Don Cheadle was the reason I got Crash, so I have a lot of love for him."
Downey, Cheadle, Paltrow and the rest of the Iron Man 2 crew began shooting earlier this month. Howard is currently making the rounds promoting his new film, Fighting, opening this weekend.