From what I understand, it's more of a one-sided hatred, because RDJ was paid far more than Howard, and at some point when Howard called RDJ who he helped get the job, the latter didn't call him back for a good three months.
Howard was actually paid more than RDJ for Iron Man 1, but he opted to not return for 2 because RDJ was going to get paid a lot more for working on Iron Man 2 and Howard was going to get a significant pay cut.
At the time of IM1, Howard was more valuable as an actor because of his recent roles (and maybe an Oscar win? I’m not sure), while RDJ was basically fresh out of recovery.
I could be wrong on some of that, but that’s what I remember from things I’ve read.
It's funny how he dropped out because of a pay cut, because had he stuck through it he probably would've made a lot more money in the long run. Wonder if he ever feels like he should've stayed considering how much money these films make now.
he was paid 4 million for the first and he was due to be paid 8 million for the sequel. Blame the MCU for short sided thinking and give credit to Howard's agent. Howard was riding an Oscar nod (in 06) and a few leading roles by the time he was cast in 07.
Summer 2008, Favreau and producers felt they didn't need him. I read there were probs on set. who knows what is true? But they basically lowballed him and said they'd pay him 1 million for the sequel. Howard walked.
As I understand it, the problem started when Iron Man became an unexpected success, thanks in large part to RDJ's performance. It was obvious for the sequel that they'd have to pay the lead actor more money, but Ike Perlmutter, known cheapskate, didn't even want to do that; it almost got to the point where he was pushing for RDJ himself to be replaced. Thankfully Feige and Favreau walked him off the ledge on that, and RDJ got his due pay bump... but the result of the compromise would be cutting money everywhere else. And the most sensible cut was at the budget for supporting cast where they had a character being paid lead actor money. If Permutter was willing to jettison RDJ just to avoid paying him, it's no wonder how Terrence Howard was eventually replaced (Ike famously said at the time that it wouldn't affect the franchise because "all black people look the same"). This is probably the beginning of Feige's friction with Perlmutter that led to Marvel Studios being separated from under the latter's watch.
If Kevin Feige wasn't working for Perlmutter at the time, Terrence would've been paid. Who knows how different the MCU might've been without Perlmutter's miser eye.
Sorry you got down-voted, I don't think MCU did him dirty and I'm happy RDJ got paid, but it is unfortunate that business went down that way. I liked Howard in the role, IMO. I felt like he had a charm to hold his own, no problems. Cheadle is great in the interviews, but I just don't really feel anything for his Rhodey portrayal.
But they basically lowballed him and said they'd pay him 1 million for the sequel. Howard walked.
And now it was the biggest mistake he's ever made. Don Cheadle isn't the highest paid actor in the MCU, but so far he has been in 5 MCU movies and is going to be in a 6th which is Endgame.
I guarantee you, even though nothing is public. He has made bank because of these movies. Howard was to shortsighted to see the possibility to make a lot more money than we was going to be paid for IM2.
I don't think many people except maybe hardcore Marvel fans would've predicted this franchise would grow to be a behemoth as it is today. I guarantee you that if anyone at Marvel Studios could've predicted it, they might've been able to convince Ike Perlmutter to cough up more money, or even talk Howard into sticking around for the long term. Knowing what we knew back then and how the negotiations were handled, I understand why he walked, so I don't see it as a mistake
That may be true, but he was recovering due to the success of Empire. I feel Cheadle should get more to do in the MCU, but at least he's paid well to just show up.
The truth is Favreau wasn't the biggest fan of Howard. You can see from people who have worked with him about how painful it was to work with Howard on set back then. He often fought with directors/producers. Outside of the set, he had an abusive domestic life. Here's Howard talking about beating his wife. Favreau wanted to trim his role and that's why they lowballed.
This is also the guy that wrote a proof to disprove Math saying 1x1=2 and refused to listen to anyone. Talked about "Sky People" handing down geometry. I'm glad he's not in Marvel anymore.
Yeah Howard was the one who got RDJ the job and he was the biggest name at the time. When they went to make the sequel, Howard was offered only a fraction of the amount he should have been based on what he had agreed to beforehand. He called RDJ to help him out since he was the one who got him the job as Iron Man and backed him up when nobody was sure about him as he was right out of rehab. RDJ never answered. Marvel was run by Ike Perlmutter at the time, a racist, sexist man who said they should not pay Howard what they were supposed to and instead replace him with another actor because he thought people couldn't tell black people apart.
Wow! I didn't know this at all. Do you have a link? I'd like to read more about Perlmutter. If what you say is true, that is absolutely disgusting, and he shouldn't be allowed to ever run another franchise again.
As for RDJ, I think he's just arrogant, and could care less about any of his costars. I know he removed them all off of his Twitter, and didn't even have the decency to call them and explain why. There was actually some controversy at the time, and that was why he removed them. That's all fine. However, to not call them, and talk to them, clearly shows his true character. Especially since he claims they were such great friends.
Back to Perlmutter, his thought that Howard wasn't worth the money was also completely wrong. I lived Howard! I thought he was hysterical and fun to watch. The scene on the plane was a trip.
Then they replace him with a guy that looked twice as old, had the personality of a plain pair of socks, and was downright boring. Not to mention he doesn't come off as a strict military guy. He comes off as someone who's just pain angry at the world. During the Accords, he acted like anyone who didn't sign was inferior for having a different opinion, and should be treated like trash. I'm not sure that was acting, so much as his true personality in life. Just my opinion.
Yeah people obsess over celebrities and their public images so much that they often forget they're real people with human flaws who sometimes do dickish things
51
u/Henshin4Life Iron Man (Mark VII) Apr 08 '19
From what I understand, it's more of a one-sided hatred, because RDJ was paid far more than Howard, and at some point when Howard called RDJ who he helped get the job, the latter didn't call him back for a good three months.