Actor Terrence Howard returned to the big screen recently in, “Pride”. In his latest, most inspiring effort to date, the Academy Award nominee portrays Jim Ellis, a real-life schoolteacher who coached the first all-black swim team in Philadelphia in the 1970’s. Howard spent countless hours preparing for the role. At the same inner-city pool where Jim Ellis first started, Howard endured months of training with Ellis to learn his character. What an actor!

As demanding as this preparation was, Howard’s time spent with Ellis pales in comparison to the most grueling research the actor has done for a role so far in his career. And I mean pales. To prepare for the role of DJ, the pimp turned rapper in the hit film, “Hustle and Flow”, Howard talked to 123 pimps and 78 prostitutes over the course of two and a half years. 123 pimps, 78 prostitutes, for two and a half years! That makes Howard’s months in the pool with Coach Ellis seem like he just phoned it in.

I love the fact that he made it all the way to 123 pimps. Not 100 or 125. He stopped at 123. There was something he figured out with Pimp #123 that just wasn’t clear after #122. It’s so many pimps to talk to, I wonder if he ever got so frustrated he almost had a breakdown. I can see him really starting to question the whole thing around 85 or 90 pimps. When he was 19 months into the project. Still baffled by pimps. Sitting on the foot of his bed in a real sleazy hotel room in Memphis at 3:00 in the morning. Perplexed and rubbing his temples.

“Man, these pimps are impossible to figure out. They’re chameleons!”

You’d think after 50 or 60 pimps the director would start to get a little annoyed.

“Terrence, its been 14 months since you agreed to do this role, please, tell me that you’re ready.”

Which probably wouldn’t sit well with Terrence, who’s been hanging out with pimps for over a year at this point.

“Ready? Ready, for what? Ready to do some half-ass portrayal of a pimp? Do you know how hard it is out here to figure out the character of someone with no goddman character? It takes time! I’m not about to do the kind of bullshit that some guy who only knows 57 or 58 pimps would do. No thanks. Not Terrence Howard. Sorry I can’t stay and chat any longer but I have seven pimps and four prostitutes to meet up with at Sapphire’s. I’m quite the actor.”

Meanwhile, actor DJ Qualls, breakout star of the movie, “Road Trip”, is in the same damn movie playing a Christian organist turned hip-hop beat maker. I wonder if DJ gave as much thought to his character? He probably got a call from the director two weeks before they started shooting.

“DJ! We have this role, its shit, and we love you for it! Get on the next Greyhound to Memphis, let’s make a movie, Bones!”

In reality, that’s probably all the notice they gave Terrence Howard, too. Coincidentally, he had been associating with large numbers of pimps and prostitutes in the two and a half years leading up the film. Selling gateway and preparing for the role of a lifetime. What an actor!

24/05/2007
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