“Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and I’m homebound,” sang Terry Crews at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Distinguished Speakers Series Monday night.
With nearly 1,000 viewers, UTRGV’s students and staff couldn’t help but request the actor to sing “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton from the popular film “White Chicks.” Crews was happy to oblige.
That was one of the many high points from UTRGV’s virtual lecture that gave students the opportunity to learn about Crews’ upbringing from a Michigan kid with a humble background to a world famous celebrity.
Arlett Lomeli and Billy Ulibarri, educators in the sociology department, moderated the event and asked Crews about his career and the skills he’s used in the sports and entertainment industry.
Many students might recognize Crews from his role in “The Expendables” film franchise, comedy series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and the wildly popular Old Spice commercials, but Lomeli pointed out that Crews started off as a professional artist in Flint, Michigan, as a courtroom sketch artist.
“I am an artist first, first and foremost,” Crews confirmed. “I grew up in a very strange household because my father was addicted to alcohol and my mother was addicted to religion. So, it was a weird place to grow up, so my art talent just developed out of this desire to want peace. And it was enough to get me a lot more than I ever thought I ever could have. It really provided scholarships, which took me out of the hood and really let me see a great part of the world that I’d never ever touch otherwise.”
Crews said his life changed forever in 1977 when he saw “Star Wars.” He knew that he would be in entertainment and received an art excellence scholarship and a full ride athletic scholarship for football at Western Michigan University.
From a courtroom sketch artist to an NFL defensive linebacker, Crews began his journey in the entertainment industry but said he never wanted to be an actor.
“Because of ‘Star Wars’ and all this stuff I thought I was going to be a filmmaker, special effects artist,” Crews explained. “I wanted to do storyboards, I wanted to work in special effects. I saw myself as a filmmaker. When I met my wife back in 1988, we were sitting outside of a Wendy’s and I told her we were going to move to LA and make movies. But I had no clue that acting would be my way.”
His first job in Los Angeles was sweeping floors at a factory until he got a job as a security guard on a movie set where one of his friends told him to audition for a show called “Battle Dome.”
“It’s the first show I ever auditioned for and I got it,” Crews said, reminiscing. “It was like ‘American Gladiators’ on steroids. It was crazy, but I was in as an actor, and I never looked back. That’s now almost 22 years ago.”
The actor said that he’s been a part of the most competitive worlds and stressed that with the encouragement and support from his high school art teacher and football coach, he reached his dreams.
“I became my own person, my own thing,” Crews said. “I understand that the real battle is knowing who you are. I grew up in the hood. I grew up in the middle of poverty. But all it takes is one person to believe in you and you can reach your dreams. It’s truly already in you.”
Crews’ advice for students who are graduating and beginning their careers is to adapt, create, decide who they want to be, and commit to it. An acronym he calls ACDC.
“One thing I remember is when my wife and I were broke, I knew it would all be worth it,” he said. “When you have that kind of commitment, and we’ve been married 32 years now, five kids, the whole thing. That commitment is unstoppable. When you’re trying to do something, you’re going to be scared, but you need to do it.
“Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s doing it in spite of the fear. That’s the best advice I can tell you that really changed my life forever and it will lead you right. Just take a little step. ”
For more information on the UTRGV Distinguished Speaker Series, visit www.utrgv.edu/studentactivities/distinguished-speaker-series.
