September was a big month for Terry Crews who this year celebrates 25 years in Hollywood, having started his career in American Gladiators-style competition show Battle Dome in 1999. T-Money's role aligned perfectly with the America has talent (AGT) the host's dream of one day becoming an action movie star, a goal he once again realized with his part in his longtime friend Dave Bautista's action comedy The Assassin's Game.
Crews plays assassin Creighton Lovedahl in the JJ Perry-directed film out September 13 — Crews and Perry previously worked together in 2014 The Mercenaries 3Based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Jay Bonansinga, The Assassin's Game centers on a veteran assassin (Bautista) who tries to survive a self-inflicted assassination attempt after learning he was mistakenly diagnosed with a terminal illness. The film also stars Sofia Boutella and Ben Kingsley, actors Crews has long been a fan of.
“To be starring with these guys in a movie like this, there haven’t been many movies like this made, and I’m so honored that we’re going to be one of the only movies in theaters right now,” Crews says. The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor will also return to cable television when Everyone still hates Christhe animated sequel to the UPN/CW live-action series Everyone hates Chris, debuts on Comedy Central on Wednesday. Still based on the life of Chris Rock, the project was another reunion of sorts for Crews, who now voices the character of Chris’s hard-working father, Julius Rock, whom he played onscreen in the sitcom from 2005 to 2009, alongside many of the original cast members.
Below, Crews talks with DAY to be ready to play an action star in The Assassin's Gamecoming to give new life to the character of Giulio in Everyone still hates Chris and his hopes for his legacy as an actor.
***
How did you come up with the role of Lovedahl and what can you tell us about your character in The Assassin's Game?
Dave and I have known each other for years, even when there was UPN and he was wrestling on the channel and I was on Everybody hates Chris. There was almost a small chance that if I hadn't become an actor, I would have been in the wrestling business, so we became friends, I like to say when we had hair, and we always looked up to each other. Whenever we'd bump into each other around town, we'd be like, “We have to do something,” and Dave would always look at me and say, “That must be really cool,” and I was like, “You know.”
Dave put this movie together and I get the call and he says, “It would be perfect for you to play this Lovedahl character,” and I jumped at the chance. I love action comedies; action comedies are my thing. And I thought this was a really good opportunity for me to play the baddest guy ever. It’s like a throwback. I’m in my 50s and Lovedahl is this guy who you would see in a Blaxploitation movie in the ’70s. He’s this guy who lives there and romanticizes that whole era. And for him, people don’t have enough style. They don’t understand music. He’s always the coolest guy in the room. That’s what I love. … Also, spoiler alert: I don’t die, thank goodness. I want to see a sequel.
You have always been in tip-top shape since you have been in the spotlight. Did this role require any special training for you?
Um, no (laughter). I heard this and I put it on my wall: “Stay ready so you don’t have to be ready.” I’ve always, always found most of my opportunities in any business (TV, movies, hosting) come by being ready when your time is called. Dave was putting together this movie and I got the call, and I was ready. It would have been different if I had said, “Man, wait. You’ve got to give me a year to get in shape and all that stuff.” He would have left me. But because I was already ready, I was able to pick up the gun and go. I can’t tell you how many ways that’s happened to me. Just being in shape, being prepared, being rested. It means a lot. And never burn a candle at both ends. It’s my nightmare to have the opportunity of a lifetime and be too tired to take it. I’m always, always saving my energy for my dreams, for the things I want to do, and that’s one of my biggest dreams, to be an action star, to be a movie star, and to be in projects like this. You just have to believe in it and when you're ready, it will come to you.
So tell us when you were first approached with the prospect of bringing Everybody hates Chris as an animated series, and what was your gut reaction?
First of all, Tichina [Arnold] and I both saw it in an announcement on Deadline that Chris was thinking about doing it. And I asked Tichina, “has anyone reached out to you,” and she was like, “no, has anyone reached out to you?” I said, “no, we can't let this happen without us.” And we waited for a long time, it was like well, maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't, and we were in the middle of the pandemic when everything started rolling out and they found a showrunner in Sanjay Shah, who was incredible. We all met on Zoom because not everyone could be together, but it was the greatest reunion. Chris Rock, Tichina Arnold, Ernest Lee Thomas, Jackée Harry, Jacqueline Mazarella: all the characters from Everybody hates Chris that he could come back. It was just wonderful.
And then we had the new guys, Tim Johnson Jr., who plays Chris, and Drew [Terrence Little Gardenhigh] and Tonya [Ozioma Akagha]. The new people have been so amazing to me. They grew up watching the show, because the show is 20 years old, and it blew us away. We realized the kind of impact it had. So it was like, this is really happening. Because we hadn't finished telling the story. We had four years and there was so much more we wanted to say and do, but we got written off. We were like, “That's it, it's never coming back.” And to walk away from a character and then have this new life, I feel like the luckiest man in Hollywood.
What is the tone of the new series? Does it pick up where it left off or does it go in a completely different direction?
You know, a lot of people say it's a reboot, but it's not. It's actually a sequel. It's a continuation. It picks up right where the last episode happened and we go right to the next minute. That's what I love about the show, and the tone is incredible. The thing that everyone loved about the first show, us doing it live, was that there were all these amazing elements. There were these breaks and really crazy things we could do. And in animation, now we could go as far as we wanted. There was no limit to how far we could go for a joke. And it's hilarious. I would read these scripts and we would cry. And now we have two generations that can enjoy this show. The ones that watched before and grew up with it and now the new ones. [audience]. I would recommend everyone to go back and watch the first four seasons and then start over with the new one. Everyone still hates Chris.
The animated reboot of Good times was not well received by the public. There is something that fans of Everybody hates Chris should we prepare for the new series?
With Good timesit wasn't the same show. And no matter what people thought, good or bad, it was more of a reboot. But with us, it's the same show, down to the sets, down to the people (Tyler James Williams couldn't do it because he's an adult), but it's the same writers. We literally have the same writers who wrote the first show, which makes it even more iconic. I was like, “wow!” I would go and film my voiceover scenes for the character and see people I hadn't seen in 20 years. It's Our show. You'll hear these voices, close your eyes and say, “oh my god, this is it. We're back.”
You have been a regular on three consecutive TV series that have exceeded 100 episodes, Everybody hates Chris being one of them, along with Are we there yet? AND Brooklyn Nine-NineDo you think such a feat could be replicated in today's entertainment climate?
I don't. I feel crazy about it. I've done so much television, and it's kind of like a band. You know, are bands ever going to tour again? It's just different. I'm not saying it's better or worse, but it's different. Now, sitcoms have 10 episodes a season and you have two seasons and then they're gone. Brooklyn Nine-Nine it went on for eight years, 22 episodes a year. That's a lot of episodes. We're almost up to 200. That's what I love, though, that kind of seasoning has made me a better actor and made me more confident because the practice of doing what you love is how you get better. Sometimes, the way I feel a little sad for people who are 10 episodes in and out is that they never get to develop their characters enough. And I'm sure they want to do more. That's what my heart goes out to. I feel more for the actor.
We did four seasons of Everybody hates Chris and we weren't done. We wanted to tell more. And I feel like there's too small a window to tell a complete story. It would be hard for me to do that. That's why it's hard for me to go back to sitcoms. But with Everyone still hates Chris we have 20 episodes already. We are really doing what we did before and I am grateful for animation. I understand the costs, but I am grateful that we are still able to do what we do and that we are alive to do it. Working with Tichina and Chris is a dream. It is so nice for us to be back and I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised. It will be very satisfying.
It’s your 25th anniversary as a professional actor in Hollywood. What would you say has been your legacy and what do you ultimately want it to be?
I would like my legacy to be that he gave everything he had in every role he got, because you can never accuse Terry Crews of doing everything by force. Love him or hate him, this guy gave everything he had, from Old Spice to AGTyou can't accuse me of being boring. You may not like it, but it doesn't bore you, I tell you. I love giving my all and serving people. As an actor, I feel it's a privilege and an honor to serve people and make them happy, to make them feel emotions and, when you're mean, to make them scared. When you're dramatic, to make them sad. It's a wonderful power, to make people feel and process emotions. It's my job and I love, love, love this job. I want my legacy to be that he did it with all his heart.
Everyone still hates Chris debuts on Comedy Central on Wednesday, September 25 at 10:00 p.m.