'This is the end for me': Terrence Howard says he's given his 'best' as he plans to retire from acting

Howard made similar statements in 2019 as the final season of 'Empire' neared
PUBLISHED DEC 9, 2022
Terrence Howard has announced that he will be retiring from his acting career (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Terrence Howard has announced that he will be retiring from his acting career (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Terrence Howard is hanging up his boots . . . again! The 'St Vincent' star who will next be seen in 'The Best Man: The Final Chapters' claims "this is it for him" in acting. "This is the end for me. This is the end for me," he said in a recent interview, before adding about his 'Best Man' co-stars, "I don't know if it's the end for the rest of them." The 53-year-old star admitted that he had retired before but this time he has made up his mind, "I retired two years ago, for the most part. I was done."

Howard added, "I asked Sidney Poitier 10 years ago does he want to do any more work, and he said, 'Why would I spend my last 10 years doing an impersonation of myself?' And that's what I've gotten to." In his September 2019 announcement, ‘The Butler’ star spoke in length about "running away" from acting after completing his role in 'Empire.' "I've been playing pretend forever. [There's] no need to play pretend anymore," Howard said. "I've done my time," Howard said. Interestingly, his co-star Vivica A Fox reacted to his retirement with suspicion back then, "More than likely, he'll probably take off a year or two, hang out with his kids, have a good time, and then the acting bug will hit him again," she said on 'People Every Day' podcast.

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Howard’s first Hollywood project was ‘The Jacksons: An American Dream,’ which was released in 1992. His other noteworthy flicks include 'Crash,' 'Hustle & Flow,' 'August Rush,' and 'Iron Man.' The actor was also lauded for playing Lucious Lyon on Empire (2015-2020). "I've gotten to the point where now I've given the very best that I have as an actor. Now I'm enjoying watching other new talents come around, and I don't want to do an impersonation of myself,” Howard told ET. The actor agreed that it is time to pass on the baton, "Yes, there's some better actors out there that can do things that I was never able to do. So, I want to applaud them, I want to be excited about what they do."

His most recent work, Peacock's 'The Best Man: The Final Chapters' is a continuation of 'The Best Man' franchise. It first aired a film in 1999, whereas the new miniseries will premiere on Peacock on December 22.

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