Howard has said that he looks for characters that " teach him about himself " when choosing his film roles . For the 2005 film '' Hustle & Flow '' , Howard portrayed an aspiring rapper . He performed all the character 's tracks himself , including " It 's Hard Out Here for a Pimp " , which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 78th Academy Awards . Howard has also worked as a film producer , as when he was credited for the 2007 film '' Pride '' . In 2008 , Howard hosted the PBS series '' Independent Lens . '' Howard was contracted to play Colonel Rhodes in the 2008 film '' Iron Man '' . Howard was signed on before any of the other major actors and was the highest paid actor in the film . He was replaced by actor Don Cheadle in the film 's sequels . '' Entertainment Weekly '' reported that Howard was offered a 50 to 80 percent pay cut for '' Iron Man 2 '' , though it said that it was unclear whether Howard turned down the role or whether Marvel withdrew their offer
78th Academy Awards
78th Academy Awards
Terrence Howard