History Buff
Pride's
Terrence Howard hears freedom ring in
Philadelphia.
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.