We are able to see his face and acting skills every week on the CW portraying Chris Rocks father, Julius, on the Golden Globe and Emmy Award-nominated sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris. He caught our attention and had us cracking up as the dancing and crazy in love, Latrell Spencer in the Wayans Bros. Film, White Chicks, and he showed mad love for Craig and DaDa in Friday After Next as Damon. No matter what the role, Terry Crews keeps us laughing and wanting more of his comedic interior and intimidating exterior. But what you didn’t know was that being on screen was not at all his intention. As a matter of fact, he thought actors were corny!

 

" Acting was something I never thought I was going to do at all, in fact I resisted because doing security I watched all them actors and they’d be like, ‘yeah I just got this new deodorant commercial, I’m rolling’…I was like alright well…roll on then brotha, y’know. It was just too much braggin’," he explains laughing.

 

Terry’s goal was to get behind the scenes. While the "braggin’ and rollin" was going on, he was writing and producing projects." I shot this movie in Detroit a long time ago, back when I was with the Redskins [NFL], and it was terrible but I loved it. I fell in love with the business and just everything. I said this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."

 

With his love for film, movies, and great TV, he knew he had to be a part of the industry somehow. “I wanted to create and be behind the scenes. I never thought I would be in front of the screen, you can ask anybody.”

 

As a normally comedic actor, with his new Film project, Middle Man, we’ll have the opportunity of seeing Terry in a different range of character. “I play this guy named James. It’s kind of wild, it’s about the birth of the Internet Porn industry,” he laughs. The film deals with the Russian mafia and gangsters. “It’s pretty intense. But I loved the script. The script was incredible and it’s really kind of funny but kind of sad.” I love doing stuff like this.”

 

As of lately, more scripts for dramatic roles have been appearing before the eyes off Terry Crews. “I’ve been getting calls to do a lot more drama and I’m really excited about it, y’know, cause comedy is great though, I ain’t leaving comedy, I would never leave comedy but at the same time a lot of the best drama’s have a lot of touches of comedy in them because you gotta some how release the pressure.”

 

Though he is most recognized as Latrell Spencer, the “1000 Miles” singing big guy madly in love with Marlon Wayans in the 2004 film, White Chicks. It was Ice Cube who actually gave Terry his first major role in 2002’s Friday After Next. “I did security on Next Friday, and stood outside of Ice Cube’s trailer for three months and just didn’t say a word to him and was basically part of the onset security.”

 

The security gig allowed him to be on numerous film sets, so he learned a lot about the process of making a film and how production works. After auditioning for a few roles and receiving the parts, he finally secured an agent. A month after, the call to audition for Friday After Next presented itself. "I’ve had some interactions with the Cube camp, so when I walked in they were like oh yeah, that’s you, it was all circumstantial," he shares with laughter filling his vocals.

 

His take on the role as the bully was impressive because he went an opposite direction from the original vision. "I went in and did my thing, cause they were going to go a whole different way. They were going to go chubby and really kinda goofy and all that."

 

Ice Cube was the door that opened opportunities for Terry to work with people like, The Wayans Brothers, Eddie Murphy [Norbit], and Chris Rock. “I’m more thankful for what Cube did for me.”

 

"I’m gonna be real, African American fans never leave you, if you have your African American base, if you got your people then you’re a star. I was a star in the hood way before White Chicks. That was the coolest part about it.”

 

We may see Terry portray a role and laugh at his dance moves and the intense comedy he carries with each character, but when it comes to the craft of acting, he takes even being funny very serious.

 

“If you’re acting to be funny then people won’t find that funny. Like, if I was on screen laughing at my own jokes, they would be like, uhh that’s whack. You have to treat it as if it was drama and then you let the comedy happen.”

 

He highlights the scenario from White Chicks, “when I played that scene when I was after Marlon, I mean really, I really played like he was the most beautiful thing I ever seen in my life."

 

He admits that preparation and skill level induces with every project he takes on as well as his stint in the NFL. You also need to know when to jump in and out of character “It takes a lot and you have to prepare. That’s where the skill level comes in. Football really gets you prepared [because] in football we’d be on the sideline laughing and playing and then all of a sudden they’d blow the whistle and you jump up and get there and it’s hell on earth. But once halftime comes, you’re laughing and playing again."

 

The approach taken when it comes to his work is serious business—each is done to the best of his ability. “People get their morality from the movies, they don’t get it from the church. Those little stories that you get everyday kind of create who you are and what you believe in and it’s really not a joke because you turn around and realize you’ve really influenced millions of people. I get people from all over Europe, South Africa saying ‘Ah you’re so funny’ and you start realizing that this is really powerful stuff."

 

While on the set for Everybody Hates Chris, there is no laughing matter when it comes to his character, Julius. "I’m portraying Chris Rock’s father. I’m the only character that’s named after a real person on the show. Chris’ father died. He dedicates his whole career to his father. I walk in there like, yo this is a mantle I can’t mess this up. You’re talking about a real person with family members that are like [I] represent his father in spirit, I can’t play with that."

 

It’s a fear that you have to overcome in terms of what people think of you. Actors are sometimes mistaken for truly being that character they portrayed in a film or on a television show. With the job, come crazy personas that you have to learn how to turn on and off. Terry Crews is one that adapted to the technique of acting quick. While dedicated to his craft, he also knows that he has to leave that on set before he enters the real job: Being a husband and father.

 

“I know actors that stay in character- you have to call them ‘Johnny’ for 3 months while they’re doing a m
ovie. That may be their technique, but that ain’t gon’ work with me cause I have to go home and deal with these kids."

 

He came into the game strictly due to a sincere passion and not because of the glitz and glamour nor the women. “I’ve been married 19 years, 5 kids. I’m not trying to be cool, y’know a lot of people wanna act to try to get girls and all that I’m done. I don’t care. I go home. My family tells me who I am.”

 

When it comes to Hollywood, it’s imperative that you come with thick skin. It’s almost certain that nothing will go the way you planned or envisioned it happening, Terry being living proof amongst numerous others. Basically, if you go into the situation with a two-year plan, your best bet is to kiss that goodbye and either grind it out or pack it up and leave.

 

Terry’s route: Grind it out.

 

After retiring from the NFL, he took his severance pay, his family, which consists of his wife of 19 years and their children, packed up and prepared for the journey to Los Angeles. Within the first three months of wishful thinking, they were broke. With no money, eviction notices came, lights were cut off, and the feeling of hope was slowly beginning to dissipate.

 

Terry Crews, however, knew in his heart, despite the storm, that it would all be worth it. “My wife asked me, she said Terry, I know you’re out here trying to do your thing but how long would it take for you to call it quits?” His response assured her that everything would work out and that they were never leaving. “She turned to me and said; alright I’m with it, just as long as I know.”

 

From that moment forward, the exercise of worries disappeared and the career in which provides part of the income for Terry and his family, his wife is also a talented actress and vocalist, flourished paving the way for all the aforementioned to happen.

 

“You are competing with the best of the best. You got people coming from countries where they ain’t eating at all; they ready to go you know what I’m sayin’. When you’re competing against that you gotta have the mindset, I ain’t quitting ever. I’ll continue to adjust and grow but I’ll never quit.”

 

It has been that mindset that has driven Terry into a successful career. His Filmography dates back to 1999 and has been consistent all the way through with both big screen and small screen roles.

 

His gift: is that of transparency and undeniable entertainment. “I practice getting in front of people and doing crazy stuff and not caring.”

 

His motto: “you have to be shameless and just do it!”

 

How he obtained his presence in Hollywood: "Actors always try to get noticed, what I do is just lay in the cut and just be quiet and all of a sudden everybody would notice me. By doing my job and not handing out my headshot every five seconds, that’s where I got noticed."

 

An extension of character:

 

WHO IS SQUEEGEE LO?

 

We’ve seen him ‘get loose’ on the dance floor in the film White Chicks, “poppin’ that thang” to 2pac’s video in Friday After Next and even a little snake arm movement on an episode of My Wife and Kids, now we finally meet the man behind the moves: I present to you Squeegee Lo “The World’s Biggest Dancer.”

 

Terry’s voice is shocked and relieved with laughter, when I bring up the discovery of Squeegee. He explains, “Squeegee ain’t no joke. I created a character, who is The World’s Biggest Dancer. It’s my Internet project, it’s my baby.”

 

The story goes, he was a little boy, 9 years old growing up in Flint, Michigan—Terry’s Hometown. He was abandoned by his parents and found a squeegee in the dumpster that he would use to wash windows for the city. The music from the cars would make him dance and now 30 years later he became the World’s Biggest Dancer. “Straight up, he’s like the P. Diddy of dance.”

 

“If you look at any of my movies all my stuff, I’ve always danced in all my movies. The Longest Yard, White Chick’s to Malibu’s Most Wanted, everything you see me do except for Everybody Hates Chris—they had me do it a little in one episode. [But] this is my character, this is the one!”

 

It’s an Online Internet movie that Terry has been working on and has performed at NBA Half-time, The Key Club. “It’s funny and hilarious.” Something we could have definitely expected!

 

For More on Terry Crews and Squeegee Lo visit: www.terrycrews.com