Terrence Howard positioned himself to become one of Hollywood’s leading men. After the success of Crash and Hustle & Flow, Howard was the first actor to sign on for the first installment of the $300 million grossing Iron Man.
But a few personal and career setbacks led to missed opportunities that could have kept Howard in the forefront. He has a chance to regain his status with the starring role in the action-packed film, Red Tails.
On Jan. 9, Keith Major photographed Howard in New York for an upcoming rolling out cover. Howard also sat down with rolling out to discuss the importance of his latest film, Red Tails.
Here are excerpts from the interview. –amir shaw
How were you inspired by the story of the Tuskegee Airmen?
This film spoke about a generation of heroes. The gods of aviation. The rock stars of the black community during the 1940s. It was during the time when black people could barely ride in front of the bus, not talking about the front of the clouds. They were the best of what this world has to offer. I don’t think there are many pilots that can match their bravery and what they had to go through.
Why is this film important, not only to black history, but also the history of America?
I got the script in 2009. I talked to George Lucas about it in 2006. I wanted to be involved in the action adventure film that George was making. He had no idea that in the writing and telling of this story that it would encompass all generations. They often look for specific audiences. But this film reaches every person in the world. Without the Red Tails, the U.S. wouldn’t have won World War II. Germany would still be occupying much of Europe and controlling the economy of the world. The entire world owes its salvation to the Red Tails and [their] exploits.
