Terry Crews Talks Hilarious ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ Sequel and Getting to Play “The Baddest Dude Ever” in ‘The Killer’s Game’
September has been a big month for Terry Crews, who this year marks 25 years in Hollywood, having gotten his start on the American Gladiators-style competition show Battle Dome in 1999. The role of T-Money perfectly aligned with the America’s Got Talent (AGT) host’s dream of one day being an action movie star, a goal which was once again realized with his part in longtime friend Dave Bautista’s action-comedy The Killer’s Game.
Crews stars as assassin Creighton Lovedahl in the J.J. Perry-directed film that released on Sept. 13 — Crews and Perry previously worked together on 2014’s The Expendables 3. Based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Jay Bonansinga, The Killer’s Game centers on a veteran assassin (Bautista) trying to outlive a hit he put out on himself after learning he incorrectly received a terminal diagnosis. The movie also stars Sofia Boutella and Ben Kingsley, actors of whom Crews has long been a fan.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
“To be starring with these guys in a movie like this — there haven’t been a lot of movies like this being made — and I’m so honored that we’re going to be one of the few movies in the theater right now,” Crews tells The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor will also make a return to cable television when Everybody Still Hates Chris, the animated sequel to the live-action UPN/CW series Everybody Hates Chris, premieres on Comedy Central on Wednesday. Based on the life of Chris Rock, the project was another reunion of sorts for Crews, who now voices the character of Chris’ hardworking father, Julius Rock, whom he portrayed onscreen in the sitcom from 2005-09, along with many of the original castmembers.
Below, Crews talks with THR about being ready to portray an action star in The Killer’s Game, getting to breathe new life into the character of Julius in Everybody Still Hates Chris and his hopes for his acting legacy.
How did the role of Lovedahl come to you, and what can you tell us about your character in The Killer’s Game?
Dave and I have known each other for years, even back when there was a UPN and he was wrestling on the channel and I was on Everybody Hates Chris. There was almost a slim chance that, had I not become an actor, I would have been in the wrestling world myself, so we befriended each other — I like to say back when we had hair — and we always mutually admired each other. Every time we bumped into each other all over town we’d say, “We’ve got to do something,” and Dave always looked at me and said, “But it’s gotta be really badass,” and I was like, “You know it.”
Dave put this movie together and I get the call and he’s like, “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 is a real good chance for me to play the baddest dude ever. He’s like an old-school throwback. I’m in my mid-50s and Lovedahl is this guy who you could see in a Blaxploitation movie back in the ‘70s. He’s that guy who lives there, and he’s romanticized 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’ve been in impeccable shape as long as you’ve been in the public eye. Did this role require any special training for you?
Umm, no. (Laughs.) I heard this and I put it on my wall: “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.” I have always, always found most of my opportunities in whatever business — TV, film, hosting — came by being ready when your time is called. Dave was putting this movie together and I got the call, and I was ready. It would be different if I was like, “Man, hold on. You’ve got to give me a year to get in shape and all that stuff.” It would have left me. But because I was already ready, I was able to just pick up the gun and go. I can’t tell you how many ways that that has happened to me. Just by being in shape, being prepared, being rested. It means a lot. And never burning a candle at both ends. It’s my nightmare to have the opportunity of a lifetime and be too tired to get it. I’m always, always preserving my energy for my dreams, for the thing that I want to do, and this is one of my biggest dreams to be an action star, and to be a movie star and to be in projects like this. You’ve just got to believe and when you’re ready it comes to you.
Talk then about when you were first approached about the prospect of bringing Everybody Hates Chris back as an animated series, and what was your gut reaction?
First of all, Tichina [Arnold] and I both saw it in a blurb on Deadline that Chris was thinking about doing it. And I asked Tichina, “Did somebody approach you?” and she said, “No, did somebody approach you?” I said, “No, we can’t let this happen without us.” And we waited a long time, it was like well, maybe it’s gonna happen, maybe it isn’t, and we were well into the pandemic once everything started to roll and they found a showrunner in Sanjay Shah, who was incredible. We all met on Zoom because everybody couldn’t be together, but it was the greatest reunion. Chris Rock, Tichina Arnold, Ernest Lee Thomas, Jackée Harry, Jacqueline Mazarella — all of the characters on Everybody Hates Chris who could come back. It was just beautiful.
And then we had the new guys, Tim Johnson Jr., who’s playing Chris, and Drew [Terrence Little Gardenhigh] and Tonya [Ozioma Akagha]. The new people were so amazing to me. They grew up watching the show, because the show’s 20 years old, and it blew us away. We realized what kind of impact it had. So it was like, this is really happening. Because we weren’t done telling the story. We got four years and there was so much more we wanted to say and do, but we got canceled. We thought “That’s it, it’ll never come back again.” And to walk away from a character and then to get this new life, I feel like the luckiest man in Hollywood.
What’s the tone of the new series, does it pick up where things left off or does it go in a totally 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 continuance. It picks up exactly where the last episode took place, and we go right into the next minute. That is what I love about the show, and the tone is incredible. The thing that everybody loved about the first show, us doing it live, was that there were all these fantastical elements. There were these cutaways and really crazy things that we could do. And in animation, we could go as far as we wanted now. There was no end to how far we could go for a joke. And it’s hilarious. I would read these scripts, and we would just be in tears. And now we have two generations that can enjoy this show. The ones who watched it before and grew up on it and now the new [audience]. I would advise everyone to go back and watch the first four seasons and then start again on the new Everybody Still Hates Chris.
The animated reboot of Good Times wasn’t well received by audiences. Is there anything fans of Everybody Hates Chris should be prepared for when it comes to the new series?
With Good Times, it wasn’t the same show. And no matter what people thought about it — good or bad — it was more of a reboot. But with us, it’s the same show, all the way down to the sets, all the way 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 that wrote on the first show, which makes it even more iconic. I was like, “Wow!” I would go in to film my voice scenes for the character and see people I hadn’t seen in 20 years. It’s our show. You’re going to hear these voices, close your eyes and go, “Oh my God, this is it. We’re back.”
You’ve been a series regular on three consecutive TV series that have surpassed 100 episodes, Everybody Hates Chris being one of them, along with Are We There Yet? and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Do you think such a feat could be replicated in today’s entertainment climate?
I don’t. I feel wild about that. I’ve done so much television, and it’s kind of like a band. You know, will bands ever really get to go on the road again? It’s just different. I’m not saying it’s better or worse, but it’s different. Now, sitcoms are getting 10 episodes a season and you get two seasons and then they’re gone. Brooklyn Nine-Nine was on for eight years, 22 episodes a year. That’s a lot of episodes. We almost hit 200. This is what I love, though, that kind of seasoning 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 the people who have the 10 episodes and out is that they really never get to develop their characters enough. And I’m sure they want to do more. That’s the thing my heart goes for. 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 it’s giving such a small window to tell a full story. That would be hard for me to do. That’s why it’s hard for me to just jump back in the sitcoms again. But with Everybody Still Hates Chris, we get 20 episodes already. We’re really doing what we used to do and I’m thankful for the animation. I do understand cost, but I’m thankful that we could still do what we do and we’re alive to do it. Working with Tichina and Chris is a dream. It’s so good for us to be back, and I think everyone’s going to be so pleasantly surprised. It’s going to be very satisfying.
It’s your 25th anniversary as a working actor in Hollywood. What would you say your legacy has been and what do you want it to be, ultimately?
I would love my legacy to be that he gave everything he had to every role he got because you can never accuse Terry Crews of mailing it in. Love him or hate him, this dude gave everything he got, from Old Spice to AGT, you can’t accuse me of being boring. You may not like it, but you ain’t bored by it, I’ll tell you that. I love giving my all and serving people. I feel as an actor it’s a privilege and honor to serve people and make people happy, make people feel emotions, and when you’re being a bad guy, make people scared. When you’re being dramatic, make people sad. That’s a beautiful power, to make people feel and process emotion. That’s my job, and I love, love, love this job. I want my legacy to be that he did it with all his heart.
Everybody Still Hates Chris premieres on Comedy Central on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 10 p.m.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
