Terry Crews claims he was paid ‘nothing’ for hit movie Training Day but reveals why project was not a ‘horror story’
TERRY Crews has opened up on his humbles beginnings in the entertainment industry.
The America's Got Talent host revealed the low paychecks he got for his early film appearances.
Terry, 55, admitted that he got very little money when he started his acting career, but explained why he accepted the jobs.
"I have never ever, ever looked at whatever money I got as a horror story. You can’t nod yes and mean no," he said, via The Hollywood Reporter.
Speaking of the 2001 Denzel Washington hit, Training Day, he said, "I didn’t get zero [for the movie] but it changed my life forever. You wouldn’t know who I was if it weren’t for a no-paying job.”
The television star added that he got $4,000 for his role in 2002’s Friday After Next, compared to "nothing" for Training Day.
READ MORE ON TERRY CREWS
However, he noted that the low-paying roles put him on the map, and set him up for Hollywood stardom.
"If I did it, I loved it. This keeps my heart always full of gratitude," he asserted.
Terry added that after appearing with Ice Cube on Friday After Next, he thanked the rap music icon turned actor for the opportunity, recalling, "I got my shot. That was the start. Now, I make money."
HARD GRAFT
Even before taking low-paying acting roles, Terry was used to making little money as he started out on his pro football career.
Most read in Celebrity
After being selected in the 11th round of the 1991 Draft by the Rams, Terry spent five years bouncing between five NFL teams, alongside one in Germany.
During a practice squad stint with the Green Bay Packers in 1993, he made just $150 per week.
“I would have made more money at McDonald’s, that's the reality,” he admitted to Dax Shepard on the latter's Armchair Expert podcast.
After leaving the NFL, the star worked various different jobs, including sweeping floors at a factory for $8 an hour.
Terry then took a $12-per-hour job as a security guard for movie and television studios, with a grand plan to get into close proximity to the entertainment business.
MAKING BANK
While Terry didn't start out with riches, his eventual success has left him with plenty of cash in the bank.
The actor's net worth was reportedly $25 million in 2022, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Crews has had a successful acting career starring in roles such as the hit 2004 movie White Chicks, The Longest Yard (2005), and playing the role of Julius Rock on the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris.
In his early days of playing for the NFL Crews had played games for the Rams, Chargers, Redskins, and Eagles, however, his career playing sports was not as nearly successful as his career in Hollywood.
Read More on The US Sun
Alongside his on-screen duties, Terry is a father of five.
The star shares his kids with his wife Rebecca King-Crews, whom he married in 1989.
