Veteran actor Terrence Howard recently claimed that he and legendary singer and actress Beyoncé could have been an item long before she became romantically involved with her longtime husband, Jay-Z.

Howard, 57, touched on that topic during a discussion with Patrick Bet-David on a recent episode of the PBD Podcast, PEOPLE reported. The Empire star made the claim after Bet-David touched on Hollywood’s power couples and made reference to Beyoncé, 44, and Jay-Z, 56.

Howard said that though he “had a chance to date” the Grammy-winning singer, he rather opted to woo another Destiny’s Child member.

“You know, I had a chance to date Beyoncé early on,” he said. “We had a conversation, you know, and I ended up talking to the other girl inside of, you know, Destiny [’s Child]. The girl with the blue eyes,” he added, though he did not identify the band member in question.

Formed in Houston, the first members of Destiny’s Child included Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett, and LaTavia Roberson. Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin later became members of the female group after Luckett and Roberson left.

Franklin also left along the line, resulting in Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle becoming the core and only members of the group. The trio went ahead to achieve considerable success.

Elsewhere in their conversation, Howard reflected on Beyoncé giving him a lap dance when Destiny’s Child performed their hit single, Cater 2 U, at the 2005 BET Awards.

Howard was among the three men in the audience whom Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle picked for their performance. Kelly picked rapper Nelly, while Michelle went for NBA legend Magic Johnson.

“I remember Beyoncé looking over at me, and I think that’s why she picked me to do that dance, when she did the kind of strip tease dance that we did at BET or whatever, to show me what I had lost,” Howard claimed.

The Hustle & Flow star also said that he was “attracted” to Beyoncé at a certain “moment” and also “felt something” for her, PEOPLE reported. He, however, added that the period in question was before she became romantically involved with Jay-Z.

“That was very, very long ago,” Howard highlighted.