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History Buff
Pride’s Terrence Howard hears freedom ring in Philadelphia.
By Bryan Reesman
When we catch up with rising star Terrence Howard, he’s preparing to present an award to Michael Jordan at the Trumpet Awards in Las Vegas. He’s a little nervous about it, which sounds surprising coming from the man who received an Oscar nod for his role as an aspiring rap star in Hustle and Flow; costarred as a conflicted Hollywood director in 2005’s Best Picture, Crash; and played a nasty hood in the Prohibition period piece Idlewild. Howard’s real-life persona is quite the opposite of those swaggering roles.
He’s a mild-mannered, soft-spoken, eloquent individual with a passion for acting, horticulture, and people. He also enjoys playing guitar.
Howard shuns the concept of the stereotypical Hollywood star sequestered away in a palatial Tinseltown estate. He lives near Philadelphia, forever known as the City of Brotherly Love, and for him, that maxim is the absolute truth. It’s the perfect place for an actor who likes to stay down-to-earth and close to his neighbors, many of whom are oblivious to his profession. That may change, however, as more and more of Howard’s work emerges, including the soon-to-be-made comic-book adaptation Iron Man, with Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow; the forthcoming music drama August Rush, with his favorite actor, Robin Williams; and the new Pride, with Bernie Mac. The inspiring Pride is based on the real-life story of Jim Ellis, a swimmer who helped transform a decaying Philadelphia recreation center into a champion-producing swim facility. Strong movies like Pride prove why Howard has been generating a buzz in Hollywood lately.
According to Howard, Mark Wahlberg recently told him “there is nothing better than for someone to reach a place that everyone’s been hoping he would get to.” “He said the amount of goodwill I have had has been great,” says Howard. It seems that goodwill already extends to those around him in Philly.
Do you live inside or outside Philadelphia? I live outside the city, in a little area right past Blue Bell called Abolitionist Hill. The people there were part of the Underground Railroad movement. They provided sanctuary and safe housing for slaves escaping from the South and on their way to the North. Because the bounty hunters would come to retrieve these slaves, the residents built true underground tunnels that led from one home to another home and into a field. And I bought one of those homes. I’m trying to find out who traveled through. I bought a 250-year-old carriage home, and there is a stone tunnel, maybe five feet under the ground, made with fieldstones that are there, about three or four feet in diameter. I don’t know what was at the end of it, but it was the greatest discovery of buying that home.
How many people can say that they have a house that literally was part of American history? It’s nice, unless you’re trying to renovate.
Where did you first live when you arrived in Philadelphia in 1998? I lived in Wissahickon, which is right near Fairmount Park. Before that, I was in L.A. I was trying to make it the Hollywood way, but I just didn’t fit. I tried to. I did all the things that I thought I was supposed to do. I was running around and trying to be friends with the earth shakers and oftentimes found myself shaken up by it. My uncle said, “You have a mean streak of conscience running down your spine, and until you get rid of that, you’re not going to have any fun here.” I guess I never had any fun there.
It sounds like you wanted to maintain your integrity. I just wanted to still be human at the end of the day. That’s why you’re an actor — because you love humanity. I keep digging into every one of these characters that I come across or watch, in hopes of finding myself. You find a little piece of you that you were just unaware of before.
Since you also dig into history, are you going to the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute? Yes, I’m going immediately. You’ve got to remember that the Franklin Mint is down there, too, and I have a son who absolutely loves money. Money, coins, and gold. He’s asked me to get him a gold bullion one day. He wants a big one.
And what did you tell him? I said, “Okay, why not? I’ll work at it.”
How many children do you have? I have one son [Hunter] and two daughters [Heaven and Aubrey]. They live only a couple of minutes away, with their mom. They’re nine, 11, and 13 right now. It’s nice to take them through places [like] where Thomas Paine had his influential pamphlet “Common Sense,” which reflected the philosophy in the Declaration of Independence. It’s nice to be in the place where the Declaration of Independence was written and ratified, where it truly gives a new meaning to the Fourth of July. Just to see the history there and to be a part of it and to hear, breathe, and smell all the things that took place … I think a lot of those waves of inspiration are still floating about in Philadelphia.
What are your favorite landmarks in the city? I love the Philadelphia Museum of Art, downtown. When I grew up, in Cleveland, even though the museum there was always open, we were never encouraged to go. Maybe that was something that my parents failed to show me. All I know is that I spend a great deal of time down there. Philadelphia is just brimming with history. The authenticity of what the place is, what it’s truly about — all these things make the biggest difference in life to me. Being a part of something that’s older than me, being part of something that’s a little deeper than my understanding, because then I can keep learning.
There are areas in Philadelphia, like Germantown Pike, where you can almost hear George Washington marching down with 300 men to battle a stronghold near the center of the city held by British sympathizers. What’s interesting is that those 23 men inside that home killed almost 150 of George Washington’s men and caused the others to retreat because they were so well fortified there. I live 10 minutes from that place and live near the first known school that had a mixed group of kids, both white and black. It’s really, really nice. But my favorite place is still Fairmount Park. That’s where I spend most of my time. I run there in the morning, and I run there in the evening, except in the summertime, when the mosquitoes like to have their way with me.
You should come to Fairmount Park. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.
Is it larger than Central Park? Oh yes. It blows Central Park out of the water. It runs the whole length of the city.
What is Philadelphia like, architecturally speaking? Architecturally, it’s back to the days when people had big Victorian homes. Chestnut Hill is gorgeous. To me, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the city. Go to Upper Merion or Lower Merion, and some of the historic homes are there, but in Chestnut Hill, all the buildings are made of stone. They’re like miniature castles, and everything has two-foot-thick stone walls surrounding the property, flower planters on the tops of them. These are the things that brighten my eyes when I go through there. You rub your hands on the stones and imagine the people who may have touched them.
Beyond the historical nature of the city, what other aspects of life in Philadelphia appeal to you? It’s a big city with a small-town appeal to it. I know my neighbors. I mean, I’m feuding with my neighbor right now because I built a wall. It’s a pretty stone wall, but she didn’t want the wall because I think she used to pretend that it was her property. She actually asked me to paint my garage the color that she was about to paint her house. There was something not right about that, but I still love her. I know all my neighbors, and all my neighbors know me. When I was in L.A., if someone had robbed my next-door neighbors, I wouldn’t have known. Guess what? I didn’t even know what they looked like. They never once came over and worked in my garden with me. They never helped me to fell a tree or to plant one.
I came home to Philadelphia after being gone for three months and forgetting to pay my landscaper, and I found that my lawn was perfectly manicured and I had a new group of hydrangeas, because my 84-year-old neighbor had been taking care of my property while I was away. I asked if I could help him for what he did and to thank him, and the only thing he said was, “Next year, will you grow some tulips, because my [late] wife used to love to see all the tulips that grew over on the east side of the property?” So I planted a whole field of tulips for him.
That’s why I love Philadelphia. I know everybody in my neighborhood, and they know me. They call me Hollywood, which is funny. I walk inside Dunkin’ Donuts, and it’s like Norm walking into Cheers. “Hollywood!” I like that. I like feeling that I belong to something.
How did working on your new movie, Pride, help you to discover something new about the city itself, and how do you think it reflects the spirit of Philadelphia? That’s a twofold question. I learned that a large part of the city did not appreciate what had taken place there. In learning about [swim coach] Jim Ellis, I learned about the first black school that was opened there and which still stands there. It desperately needs repair. I took a couple of kids who were in the movie to Philly and walked around those places, just to discuss how important it is, this freedom that we have and our lack of use of it. We don’t truly appreciate as much as we should. Secondly, what I truly learned about the city is that nobody really knows exactly what to do, but everyone has always tried to do something. It’s a land where big dreams have been made and founded. Some of them took 100 or 200 years to actually come true, and some of them we’re still trying to find the rainbow to. It’s just a place of hope to me.
Let’s move on to less weighty questions. Where do you like to chow down when you’re in town? There’s a place called Spring Mill Cafe that’s right in Lafayette Hill. You come up Ridge Pike, go south on Joshua Road, and then you hit a little road I can’t remember the name of. But it’s right there. It’s a 200-year-old place. Then there’s Valley Green Inn, which is right in Fairmount Park and has incredible food. Spring Mill Cafe and Valley Green Inn both have a French taste to them. I’ve often wondered why so many places in Philly have a French taste to them, but they do.
And do you like that? I love it.
Where else would you recommend? Illiano’s Pizza. They make great pizza. I like it a lot. That’s in Conshohocken. It’s a great little stop-in place in the center of a shopping mall, so to speak. It really reflects Philadelphia. I don’t go to South Street or downtown too much, because I’m a suburbanite.
It seems like you enjoy being surrounded by everyday people. Am I right? I like light-hearted individuals. I like trivial things. I like scatterbrained people. I like people who will be in the middle of talking to you and realize that they left a pot on the stove and will ask you to come in and have some barbecue with them and you barely even know them. It really is like that in Philadelphia. People will see you a couple of times, and after a minute, they really begin to care, and they ask about you. Before the fame happened, I would come home and find notes on my door: “Haven’t seen you in a while; just checking up on you.” They didn’t know I was an actor.
Are there any cool bars and nightclubs where you hang out in Philadelphia? No, I’ve never been good there. I get uncomfortable around a whole lot of people now.
Are there some quiet nightspots where you like to chill out and just be yourself? No. I mean, I’ve got three babies, man. The only quiet time is when they’re asleep. I don’t date, and I don’t go out.
So where would you take the family to in Philadelphia? The museum, the Franklin Mint, the Liberty Bell — all the places that have significance. The best is Valley Forge. Let them see what actually took place there. Take them to Fairmount Park. All these places are where the battle for independence took place. That’s where I take my kids. I just like the natural areas. I don’t take them to restaurants. I’m not big on that. I take them to the places that will always be there.
Philadelphia, for me, is family life. I can pretend to know all the groovy, cool places to go and have a bunch of people thank me for mentioning their restaurants, but that’s not me. When I speak about Philadelphia, I speak about the trees and the earth and the clouds and rain and autumn, when the leaves change. That’s the part I know. Getting crab apples in my neighbor’s yard. I designed my property so that I could have hummingbirds and dragonflies around. They weren’t there when I first got there, but as soon as I planted plants that they liked, oh my goodness. It’s just a place for true beauty.
You can go into the city and miss the natural parts of it, but if you like sunshine and dirt and don’t mind a couple of drops of rain, Philadelphia is the best place in the world.
Where do you suggest people stay when they visit Philadelphia? You can go down to Rittenhouse Square, which is one of the oldest areas down there. The Liberty Bell is around there, and there are some really great historic homes. There are a couple of really nice bed-and-breakfasts down there, although I couldn’t name one off the top of my head. It’s one of the few places where you can be downtown and catch the history of it. You don’t really have to go out to the suburbs, but you should take the time to come out to places like Fairmount Park. Just get a car and wander about. The best way to find oneself is to get lost in a place. That’s what I certainly believe.
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We Said …
Where we feel brotherly love in Philly
LODGING
Glasbern Country Inn, moderate to expensive, (610) 285-4723, www.glasbern.com. On 100 bucolic acres about an hour outside Philadelphia is this luxurious country inn comprising seven buildings, complete with a spa and an acclaimed organic restaurant. It’s worth the extra mileage.
Penn’s View Hotel, expensive to very expensive, (800) 331-7634, www.pennsviewhotel.com. In keeping with its historic neighbors like Independence Hall, Penn’s View dates back a century or two. But this charming, antique-filled inn has all the modern amenities to go along with it, as well as an authentic Italian trattoria serving more than 120 wines by the glass.
DINING
Bar Ferdinand, moderate, (215) 923-1313, www.barferdinand.com. Despite the fact that its owner is a fashion designer turned interior decorator, this tapas restaurant gets it right, from the Moorish decor to the mouthwatering plates of Serrano ham, smoked trout, and more. Weekly beer and wine specials help pamper your pocketbook too.
Tiffin Store, inexpensive to moderate, (215) 922-1297, www.tiffinstore.com. The new brick-and-mortar outpost of this online Indian-food delivery site serves up the same healthful delicacies two new ways: as prepackaged, ready-to-take-home meals or straight to your plate in the 30-seat dining room. The tiffin (a British term for a light, hot snack or meal) consists of your choice of two entrées plus rice, raita, dal, and pickles.
EXPLORING
The riverfront. Put on your walking or running shoes and enjoy the miles of paved path along the Schuylkill River (www.schuylkillriver.org). Or head to Trophy Bikes (215-222-2020, www.trophybikes.com) and rent some wheels for as little as $25 a day (includes lock, helmet, and map).
Tria Fermentation School, (215) 972-8742, www.triacafe.com. Culinary vacations are all the rage, so if you love learning about good food and drink, try a class at this educational offshoot of the popular Tria wine-and-cheese café, where culinary experts feed you facts on everything from exotic brews to fromage fundamentals. What’s even better: You get to eat your schoolwork.
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He Said …
Where Terrence Howard feels brotherly love in Philly
DINING
Illiano’s Pizza, Italian, (610) 397-0272
Spring Mill Cafe, www.springmill.com, (610) 828-2550
Valley Green Inn, www.valleygreeninn.com, (215) 247-1730
SHOPPING
Chestnut Hill, www.chestnuthillpa.com, (215) 247-6696
SITES
Fairmount Park, www.fairmountpark.org
The Franklin Institute, www2.fi.edu, (215) 448-1200
The Franklin Mint, www.franklinmint.com, (800) 843-6468
The Liberty Bell, www.ushistory.org/libertybell/index.html, (215) 597-8974
Philadelphia Museum of Art, www.philamuseum.org, (215) 763-8100
Rittenhouse Square, www.rittenhouse row.org, (610) 668-0164
Valley Forge, www.valleyforge.org, (610) 834-1550
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