Terry Crews on His Acting Success: “I think with me not being from Julliard and that kind of classically trained actor, I had no expectations. There was nothing to lose, so I could try everything”

How exactly did Terry Crews go from being a linebacker in the NFL to being a successful actor?  While professional athletes have had a long history of appearing in films — probably even earlier than when Babe Ruth appeared in 1920′s Heading Home — very few have managed to turn acting into a second full-time job.  Crews, however, has become a TV star in shows like Everybody Hates Chris, Are We There Yet? and The Newsroom and in movies like The Expendables and its sequel. 

Speaking with NBC New York, Crews talks about how he made the transition from gridiron to Hollywood.

Crews isn’t shy about talking about his Hollywood ambitions.  He says, “I would’ve done anything to be in the entertainment industry. That’s the truth. I told my wife when I met her 24 or 25 years ago, I said, ‘We’re going to play in the NFL. Then we’re going to move to L.A. and make movies.’ This is something that I never get tired of – ever! So we moved after I retired. I was trying to write and get behind the scenes and the whole thing. I ended up doing security on movie sets. A friend of mine invited me to an audition – the first thing that I ever auditioned for – and I get it. It’s a TV show called Battle Dome, which is kind of like American Gladiators to the tenth power. We were putting people in the hospital – it was crazy!” Read more

Trailer: Middle Men

Middle Men: In 1995, everyone had a VCR, music was sold in record stores, and the world-wide-web was a new found discovery. Businessman Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) had the perfect life – a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies. And then he met Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), two genius but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet. When Jack agrees to help steer their business, he soon finds himself caught between a 23 year-old porn star and the FBI all the while becoming one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs of his time. Inspired by a true story that proves business is a lot like sex: getting in is easy, pulling out is hard. (from trailers.apple.com)

Director: George Gallo

Cast: Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, Jacinda Barrett, Laura Ramsey, Terry Crews, Rade Sherbedgia, Kevin Pollak, James Caan

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