Nationwide — Actor Terrence Howard says that he turned down the opportunity to play Marvin Gaye in a biopic because he didn’t feel comfortable portraying a gay character if it meant having to kiss a man on screen.In an interview on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Howard revealed that he gave up the Marvin Gaye biopic when he learned the singer’s rumored 𝑠e𝑥uality. While at Quincy Jones’ house, Howard asked Jones if Gaye was gay. Jones confirmed the rumors, and that became the dealbreaker.

“No. Because I don’t fake it,” Howard said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “That would f— me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off.”

Howard emphasized it wasn’t about being homophobic but about not being able to commit to the role in the way he felt it deserved. “I can’t play that character 100 percent,” he said. “I can’t surrender myself to a place I don’t understand.”

This wasn’t the first major biopic role Howard turned down. Earlier in his career, Howard had also turned down playing Smokey Robinson offered by Robinson himself. Howard called that decision “the biggest mistake” of his career but said he declined because he was already in talks with Lee Daniels to portray Gaye, which he ultimately passed on.

Marvin Gaye, who was killed by his father in 1984, never publicly identified as gay. He was married twice and once said, “Sexually, men don’t interest me.” Still, rumors followed him for years. In 2018, Quincy Jones claimed Gaye, Richard Pryor, and Marlon Brando had been romantically involved.