Terry Crews is careful not to correlate his personal gratitude with financial compensation. The actor and TV host revealed this week he didn’t receive payment for his role in Training Day but emphasized that the lack of a check has never affected his love for a project.
“I have never ever, ever looked at whatever money I got as a horror story,” Crews said during an appearance on Club Shay Shay. “You can’t nod yes and mean no.”
Crews went on to say he was only paid $4,000 for his role in 2002’s Friday After Next and that he received “nothing” for 2001’s Training Day. The two films eventually put Crews on the path to becoming the movie star he is today.
“I didn’t get zero [for Training Day], but it changed my life forever,” Crews said. “You wouldn’t know who I was if it weren’t for a no-paying job.”
Crews went on to compare his perspective to that of an athlete: “Name somebody who played football for money when they started,” he said. “When they start, they get no money. They play football for free. They play basketball for free. Then, you get all the way to the pros, and you get the millions. There’s no other way. There’s no way to hop, skip and jump this thing.”
“If I did it, I loved it,” Crews said. “This keeps my heart always full of gratitude.”
He concluded his anecdote by saying that he ended his stint on Friday After Next by thanking the film’s star, Ice Cube, for giving him the opportunity. “I got my shot,” he said. “That was the start. Now, I make money.”
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