Robert Downey Jr. Loves Terrence Howard Too Much to Discuss His ‘Iron Man’ Exit

Having already dodged one crotch-burning close call this week, Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t about to set himself up for another one for the sadists at MTV. In an interview this afternoon, the Iron Man star hewed close to the Marvel party line when asked about the expulsion of co-star Terrence Howard from geek Eden in favour of an allegedly less-difficult Don Cheadle:

When asked if he had anything to do with the Howard/Cheadle switch, Downey immediately responded, “I had nothing to do with that decision. I love Terrence very very much. That’s all I’ll say because I haven’t talked to him yet.”

Furthermore, the Iron Man star makes it clear that he will not play favourites between the two equally talented actors, so if you’re looking for a juicy “good riddance” quote from Downey [...] you won’t find it here.

“I’ve always admired Don [Cheadle],” said Downey. “It’s one of those situations where I still don’t quite know what happened or why. Here’s what happens too: things happen and you wind up commenting on them before you’ve actually talked to the people and it’s in poor taste.”

Of course we’re nothing if not helpful, so here’s Howard’s account, and here’s Marvel’s (we think). Please file your response in the comments below; we have a rally to get to!

• EXCLUSIVE: Robert Downey Jr. On Terrence Howard/Don Cheadle ‘Iron Man 2′ Swap [MTV]