With his Best Actor Oscar nomination for Hustle and Flow, Terrence Howard became a hot commodity in Hollywood. Studios begged him to star in their next big projects - Howard could choose his role and name his price. In an unlikely choice, the actor celebrated for his gritty intensity picked Pride, the story of a Philadelphia swim coach dedicated to teaching inner-city youth how to tap into their own potential. Alongside Pride cast and crew, Howard recently sat down with Street at the Four Seasons Hotel to explain his journey from the Oscars to the swimming pool.
After playing a number of darker roles, Howard said he wanted "to be part of something light and inspirational." But the foray into cheerier genres came to mean more to the actor than he originally anticipated when he was inspired by the very man whose inspiration he had to portray. The first time Howard met Jim Ellis at the Spring Mill Caf‚ in Philadelphia, the veteran coach asked Howard why he was interested in "playing his life."
"There was something piercing about his question," explains Howard. "He was honest and he was real . I knew then how he could motivate those kids."
Ellis came to Philadelphia in 1971 hoping to find a teaching job. Though bright, accomplished and passionate, as a black man looking to coach swimming, the closest Ellis could get was a gig to finish closing down operations at an inner-city rec center. But instead of shutting down the Marcus Foster Recreation Center, Ellis gave it a reason to stay open: he founded the Philadelphia Department of Recreation Swim Team, now a bona-fide Philadelphia institution and the saving grace of hundreds of mostly African American teens who have been a part of its 33-year life.
Howard confirms Ellis's commanding influence. After their first meeting together, Howard recalls, "Whatever anxiety I had dissipated. I wondered: Where does he get his power from? I wanted to have his power."
Power seems to be Howard's buzz-word. He cited the power to influence others as his reason for getting into acting in the first place, and Pride's potential power as the film's raison d'etre. There are "associations that allow us to reflect [the film's messages] into our own lives," he said.
The associations are particularly poignant for the film's director, Sunu Gonera. Gonera grew up in Zimbabwe and explains that he related to the idea of "making your way out of something through sport," having played rugby as a youth and then professionally. "Sport was my way out in a lot of ways."
While Gonera speaks of the "universality of the story," he stresses that this tale is Ellis's.
"My big thing is that I want to be authentic," he says. "When you're doing a life story, sometimes you have to make scenes up. My big thing was always, if I'm going to make a scene up, I'd phone Jim and say, 'I'm looking for something like this, and this and this, is there anything in your life [like that] that ever happened?' And he'd tell me a few stories."
In Gonera's search for authenticity, finding Howard was like finding the Holy Grail. "As an actor, he can find truth," explains the director.
Howard recognizes his own ability as well. "Each and every one of us is made in God's image and have his creative power," he says. According to Howard, it's about making the decision of whether or not to use that power. Of himself, he states plainly: "I am a power monger"
