Academy Award-nominated actor Terrence Howard revealed he turned down a Lee Daniels-helmed biopic about legendary Motown musician Marvin Gaye because it would require him to explore the Prince of Soul’s rumored homosexuality.

Speaking with Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast, the Empire star recalled “the biggest mistake I made in my career,” which was rejecting Smokey Robinson’s offer to play him in a biopic after the King of Motown invited him out to dinner. At the time, he said, he was in the middle of talks for the Gaye biopic and “was being faithful to Lee Daniels because I had given him my word as man.”

Howard said the news “broke [Robinson’s] heart,” while host Maher remarked that the exploration of Gaye’s life would have been “much more interesting” because “there’s a lot more drama,” given the What’s Going On artist’s killing by his father.