23 Feb Terry Crews: The Journey and Perseverance of a Multitalented Dreamer
- Terry Crews visited Cal State University Fullerton for the first Beyond the Conversation of the semester to discuss his journey to fame with students
- Crews shared stories about his childhood and how he pushed through challenges, no matter how difficult
- He encouraged students not to compare themselves to others, embrace healing and never take ‘no’ for answer
Actor, athlete and motivational “doer,” Terry Crews emphasized the need to keep dreaming and to never accept rejection during Associated Students Inc.’s first spring 2026 installment of Beyond the Conversation on Feb. 12 at Cal State Fullerton.
Crews is best known for his roles as Latrell Spencer in “White Chicks” and Terry Jeffords in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” but his path to fame did not start with acting.
Flint, Michigan Created a Dreamer
Terry Crews engages CSUF students with stories of his childhood/ Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
For Crews, everything leads back to his love of movies. Due to his strict religious upbringing, Crews wasn’t allowed to see films. A window into the world of cinema came from classmates retelling the plot of popular movies like “Jaws.”
“I’m left-handed, right-brained and I would draw all that I thought the movie was. It created this huge, huge imagination for me, far from anything that I saw,” Crews said.
Movies allowed him to dream up a life to escape his abusive alcoholic father and the reality of growing up in the drug-affected Flint, Mich. “When people talk about that ‘80s’ era. It was so violent and so scary. It added to the fear, I was already scared in the house and now I’m scared outside,” Crews said.
When his parents finally allowed him to see his first movie, “Star Wars,” Crews realized what he was meant to do. “I was changed, somehow. I need to do this. I need this feeling. I have to have this again.”
Juxtaposed against the backdrop of his violent and restricted household, Crews started to imagine a future for himself through art. His paintings and drawings drew a lot of attention around town, and he even made money selling them. This led to getting an art scholarship to Western Michigan University, his first taste of life outside Flint.
From Art to Football, then Acting: Never Accept ‘No’
CSUF Students excited by Crews dancing onto the stage / Credit ASICSUF Flickr
In college, Crews was an art major but focused on getting stronger by working out. He joined the football team during his first year, even though Crews admits that he “never liked football, it was a means to an end. It was the way to get out.”
After a year of being low on money and needing a football scholarship, Crews was ready to give up on college and his dreams. While waiting for his mother to pick him up to take him back to his hometown, Crews got a call from his coach, who was able to find him a scholarship.
“I was like being pulled out of the fire. All I could think about was I will never accept a ‘no’ again,” Crews said.
Moderator Rachel Robles asks insightful questions about Crews early life / Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
Student, Adam Atwi resonated with Crews’s message. “If you’re after something you want to change, you have to be persistent and just show up constantly. I felt like this was a wakeup call for me,” Atwi said.
With his scholarship, Crews became one of the best players in the school and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1990, finally getting him out of Michigan.
Though football got him out, his heart still longed to create and emulate the magic that he saw in “Star Wars” when he was 9. After retiring from the NFL in 1997, he worked odd jobs and appeared in minor roles to support his wife and kids.
His big break came by a chance audition. Following a bombed audition for a TV show, he immediately drove to an audition for “White Chicks.” Crews didn’t care anymore about how well he did and began going off script during his audition, which worked in his favor, to his surprise. This landed him the role of Latrell in “White Chicks.”
Crews couldn’t attend the premiere of “White Chicks,” but he got a call from the producer, who said, “Terry, your life is never going to be the same.”
A Better Person for the Sake of Being Better:
Crews dances as he makes his way to the stage, showing off his multiple talents / Credit: ASICSUF Flickr
After “White Chicks,” Crews put all his energy into everything he did. He took the time to train and practice acting as much as he could, emphasizing to students how comparing himself to others was his biggest mistake in his career.
“You have the power, you just need the effort,” said Crews. “Everybody is needed. There is nobody else like you.”
With fame came ego and arrogance that snuck into Crews’s life and affected his relationship with his family. He admitted falling in love with the image of himself that the public knew and becoming two separate people.
By being honest with his vulnerabilities and choosing to be better for those in his life, Crews became whole again. “You have to make amends. You got to stop. You got to stay. Love is always unconditional, but money, time, energy-all conditional.”
Student Jorg Torres said he felt inspired by Crews and his journey.
“It kind of gives you a sense of hope and inspiration. We can be a success or chase our own dreams and goals,” said Torres.
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The “America’s Got Talent” host ended with his hope for students’ futures, urging them to hold on to their dreams.
“You telling everybody what to do does not make you a boss. But if you can do everything you told yourself to do, you will be a boss,” Crews said.
Crews continues to use his platforms to spread joy and advocacy wherever he goes. His story reminded the audience at CSUF to grab ahold of their dreams and embrace their authentically healed selves.