Terrence Howard lays down the law
Terrence Howard tells fans in Philly that celebrities can't deny they're role models for the young.
Are celebs role models?
Now, that is a seriously stupid question, says Terrence Howard.
We all are -- no matter if we're famous, infamous or un-famous, the Hustle & Flow star said during a recent visit to Philly with his Red Tails co-star Cuba Gooding Jr.
Howard, 42, says his new film, about the famed WWII cadre of African American fighter pilots, the Tuskegee Airmen, has inspired him "to be responsible about my actions and the effects they have on other people."
Noting that the airmen are one of our greatest civil rights heroes, Howard said, "young kids are watching us, there are young black men and white kids … who are watching me at 42 and they consider my actions and will judge and say 'this is okay because Terrence Howard is doing it'."
He and Gooding held a roundtable discussion at the National Convention of Black Journalists confab Saturday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a celebrity, but we are responsible. We cast shadows everywhere we walk," Howard continued, "and people judge themselves by the measure and the length of our shadows."
The Hustle & Flow Oscar-nominee concluded with, "so remember, if you are going to cast a shadow, it's pointed in the right direction."
Directed by Anthony Hemingway and co-written and co-exec produced by George Lucas, Red Tails opens Jan. 20, 2012.
Here's the trailer: http://youtu.be/BpA6TC0T_Lw