Standing 6 feet, 2 inches and weighing 244 pounds, Terry Crews looks anything but funny. His bulging muscles and “hard guy” appearance make him look menacing. At first glance, you would guess Crews was a football player rather than a comedic actor, and you’d be right…well, sort of.

Although he’s now an actor, having starred in such memorable comedies as The Longest Yard (Paramount Pictures, 2005), The Benchwarmers (Columbia Pictures, 2006) and his hit comedy on the WB “Everybody Hates Chris,” Crews was first a professional football player in the NFL for seven years, with the San Diego Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles and then L.A. Rams as a defensive end.

Hopping from team to team (six teams in seven years), Crews realized he wasn’t cut out to be a legendary football player. “I was fed up with football, and my interests were gearing more toward entertainment,” he says in his signature deep voice that lets you know there’s a big boy on the other end of the phone. “I had produced a small movie while playing for the Redskins. It wasn’t good, but I got the itch to do more entertainment-related things, so my wife and I took a chance and went for it.”

Without a second thought, Crews and his family found themselves making their way to the land of movies (Hollywood, California) for a chance at stardom. “I wanted to get away from football, and since L.A. didn’t have a football team, I knew I could concentrate on pursuing a career in entertainment fully.” But, like all hopeful actors, life wasn’t easy in the beginning. After three years of struggling for a job in the industry, Crew got his big break on his first audition for an acting role in “Battle Dome,” an offshoot of “American Gladiators.” “I was in shape from football and had athletic experience, and I needed some acting credits, so I took it,” Crews says. “It was like acting school for me. I just had to be all loud and crazy.”

Being “loud and crazy” wasn’t hard for Crews, who has a very good sense of humor naturally. Always one to crack jokes, Crews’ comedic career stems back to his football days. “I’ve been a clown all my life,” he confesses. “I was the funny man in the locker room in my football days. Even when we would lose games, I’d crack my teammates up. When you’ve been married for 18 years with five kids, you better have a good sense of humor or you’re going to go nuts. Just ask my wife.”

We guess that’s why he’s usually typecasted as the big, Black funny man in most of his movies. The actor’s hulking frame made him the ideal candidate for intimidating onscreen figures, and his disarming sense of humor has found him developing a distinct comic persona in most of his films. “Typecasting is a good thing because it means you’re going to work,” he admits. “When casting people say, ‘We need a Terry Crews type,’ you know you’re doing good. I have no problem being the big, funny guy. Plus, there’s no one out there right now who does what I do, not even a big, funny White guy.” Crews is right; no one can compare to him. We can’t think of a better person to play the memorable Damon in Friday After Next (New Line Cinema, 2002) or the cheesy beefcake basketball player in White Chicks (Columbia Pictures, 2004).

But now Crews is ready to take his acting career to the next level, with more serious roles. At the time of this interview, he was getting ready to leave for New Mexico to start filming a sci-fi flick with 300’s (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2006) Gerald Butler and rap star Ludacris, where he plays a more serious role as a villain.

Now that Crews is on his way to being a bonafide star, his rides must match his star power. That’s why he cruises L.A., California streets in his “wife-mobile” 2006 Cadillac Escalade. “It’s got enough room for my family, and you know how it’s important to keep the kids busy,” he describes.

Crews rides heavy in his 2007 BMW 750. “I have a ‘dreams’ list, where I write down things I want to achieve and buy, and the Bimmer was first on my list of cars to buy,” he recalls with a chuckle. “It was a very special day when I got it.” The 750 rides fly on 22-inch Sporza C4 wheels with Falken 255/30R22 front and 285/25R22 rear tires.

With such a successful career in a short amount of time, Crews is more than willing to do whatever it takes to grow as an actor and inspire his growing fan base because he knows that it takes a lot for people to go out and spend money on a ticket to see your movie when they have hundreds of other options to see. “I want to change lives with one of my performances,” he confesses. “I want fans to feel inspired by one of my roles. I want people to say that I gave everything I had in my performance and that I made them happy while watching my movie.”

Actually, he not only makes us happy, he makes us laugh our asses off!

Photos: Vi Peou