Terrence Howard Says He Passed on Marvin Gaye Biopic Because Singer Was Gay

Terrence Howard didn't want to get it on as Marvin Gaye on the big screen ... passing on a starring role in a biopic because Marvin was gay.

The actor revealed his very specific reason for rejecting a Marvin Gaye project when he was a guest on Bill Maher's "Club Random" podcast.

Terrence says the movie called for him to kiss another man ... and he balked.

The "Empire" star says Lee Daniels was behind the Gaye biopic ... but it was Quincy Jones who confirmed to Terrence that Marvin was gay.

Terrence says he wouldn't have been able to kiss a man on camera "because I don't fake it" ... and he doubled down, saying ... "That would f*** me. I would cut my lips off. If I kissed some man, I would cut my lips off."

Despite his reasoning, Terrence says he's not homophobic.

The issue, at least for Howard, seems to be how he prepares for his roles. He says of Marvin, "I can't play that character 100 percent. I can't surrender myself to a place that I don’t understand."