One of my favorite people to interview is Terry Crews.
I could probably shorten that to simply say that Terry Crews is one of my favorite people, because it's true. He is one of those character actors who makes anything better simply by being in it, a guy who is both visually distinct and also gifted with a really wicked sense of timing. He's great at comedy and he seems equally adept at drama when people give him that chance.
The last time I spoke with him was during the release of “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2,” and I had just seen the first few episodes of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” I talked to him about the potential of that show, so it was nice to be able to sit down with him again on the other end of the season to talk about just how great the show got in that first year. He is part of a wonderful ensemble on the series, and he seems really excited to see how things came together over the first 22 episodes.
In “Draft Day,” he plays a former player for the Cleveland Browns, and real-life NFL star Arian Foster plays his son, who is hoping to be drafted by the Browns himself. Both men have been through the process in real life, so we discussed how this film portrays the events versus the way they really felt. Crews isn't playing this part for laughs, and it's nice to see him in a more subdued role. I'm not sure if Foster's going to end up being an actor full-time at some point, but he's fine in this role.
What I enjoyed most in our conversation, though, came towards the end. I've said before that it's hard sometimes to beat up on an actor over the roles they play since actors are so often at the mercy of the material they are offered. Crews totally dismissed that idea, though, and he did it in such inspiring fashion that I'm ready to sign up for whatever self-help seminar Crews wants to teach. Seriously. Watch this interview and tell me that you're going to argue with the way he makes his points.
“Draft Day” is in theaters everywhere on Friday.