WAMG Exclusive Interview With TERRY CREWS : Tyler Perry’s THE SINGLE MOMS CLUB

THE SINGLE MOMS CLUB is in theaters now and to celebrate WAMG sat down with Terry Crews, who plays Branson in the film, to talk about love scenes, football, and the musical HAIRSPRAY. Check it out below!

When five struggling single moms put aside their differences to form a support group, they find inspiration and laughter in their new sisterhood, and help each other overcome the obstacles that stand in their way. THE SINGLE MOMS CLUB stars Nia Long, Amy Smart, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zulay Henao, and Cocoa Brown, making this one film you don’t want to miss!

This film celebrates all of the single mothers out there. Was that one of the big draws for you to be a part of this film?

Terry Crews: Oh, big time! First of all, that’s my big audience! [laughs] To be honest, it’s really a cool place to be! I’ve got EXPENDABLES for the guys, and then I have ‘Everybody Hates Chris’… shows like that for the ladies. WHITE CHICKS, or that kind of thing that makes the ladies laugh.

When I met my wife, she was a single mom, and it really resonated with me that Tyler is doing something like this. Hollywood really doesn’t represent everyone in most things, so it’s really refreshing to have a single mom being represented in all different ethnicities and cultures… There are billions of people on Earth, and each one of them has their own story. That’s why you can just keep making entertainment. Forever! Everybody’s story is different, and even if it’s similar once the time changes it’s a whole different story. You know what I’m saying? I love it. I absolutely love it.

You have such an amazing chemistry with Cocoa Brown, and you are actually friends with her husband. Did that help aid the chemistry between you two, and how were those love scenes knowing her husband?

Terry Crews: Yeah, well believe me! We were on the phone! [Laughs] It’s funny, because I called my wife and was like “I’m about to do a love scene with Cocoa! It’s ok! It’ll be fun! It’ll be good!” [laughs] and then you hang up! And she called her husband. I talked to him and was just like “Hey man, I just want to let you know that I respect her, and let me tell you… it will all be pro.” You know, you just want to get it out in the air. You have to respect the other persons life partner. I’ve been fortunate in my business to have people who always think that way, because I’ve heard horror stories of people who didn’t and that is not a good place to be… but Tyler’s sets are a family set. They’re very, very cool, and Cocoa is just such an amazing person, so we laughed, we joked, and we did the scene, and it was a lot of fun!

Tyler is known to have short shooting schedules with really long days. How was that for you, and did that give you a chance to improvise on set at all?

Terry Crews: He’s like Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood shoots the same way. He shoots two takes and he’s out. They’re done by, like, 6pm, which is unheard of. That’s the only way I can compare it. People say that Tyler rushes, but Clint Eastwood rushes… Clint Eastwood does it the same way. A lot of people don’t want to wear the actors out… but, I do know this. I warm up way before I get there.

Do you?

Terry Crews: Oh yeah! I’m in the trailer doing the things, and doing the things so when I get on set it’s action. It’s go. I’m on full speed. You don’t want to warm it up, and then wait, because what happens is they say “Ok, we’re moving on” and you missed it. This is my nightmare – to go home wishing that I would have put something out on-screen, and wanted to give that performance, but not have been able to. That’s a nightmare. For an actor, that’s a nightmare. What I do is I give it 100%, and I say ‘Tyler, if I’m giving too much just pull me back.” You can never turn a guy up, but you can always turn them down. Turning someone up is too much. They’ll turn off on you. So, I give it 110% and he’ll go ‘Oh, ok! Give me an 8! On a scale of 1 to 10 I’ll take an 8.” [Laughs]

I have to ask this because I’m from St. Louis. We currently have the Rams, but there are rumors of the Rams coming back to LA. Are you kind of excited about that since you played for the Los Angeles Rams?

Terry Crews: Eh. I don’t care at all, to be honest with you. I’ve been in the NFL, did my whole thing. It’s like having a favorite movie studio. I’ll do a movie for Warner Bros. I’ll do a movie for Lionsgate! I’ll do a movie for Universal! [laughs]

That’s a great point!

Terry Crews: It is! And what people don’t understand is that in the NFL the money goes to the same people. It goes to the same place. They revenue share. So, their records don’t even matter. See, I’ve seen the Wizard…

[laughs] That’s a great way to put it!

Terry Crews: [Laughs] It’s like the curtain went down “Oh, boy! Wow!” and you realize that this is the reason that players go from team, to team, to team. Brett Favre can be on the Green Bay Packers, and then he’s on the hated Minnesota Vikings the next year! How can this happen? [laughs] Guess what? It’s because everybody is getting the same money. So, I learned to relax with all of that, but I love a good game… just like I love to see a good movie. I don’t care who makes it. A good game, ahh… I can appreciate a wonderful game. That’s why the Super Bowl sucked. [laughs]

I’ll tell ya, I’m a baseball girl. I’m not that much of a football girl, but I sat there during that game, bored out of my mind!

Terry Crews: Yes! It’s like watching a bad movie! [laughs]

You’ve done comedy, you’ve done voice-over in animation, you’ve done action – which I’m really excited about THE EXPENDABLES. Is there any type of role that you’d love to play, that maybe you haven’t yet?

Terry Crews: I want to do a musical.

Do you really?

Terry Crews: I want to do a musical bad.

You’ve certainly got the voice for it.

Terry Crews: I would love to do a musical. Dancing… singing… the whole thing. HAIRSPRAY was my favorite movie that came out that year. That, and 300. It’s weird. I’m that weird. [laughs] 300 and HAIRSPRAY! That’s a swing, right? Terry Crews is everything in the middle of that! [laughs] I love HAIRSPRAY! The music… just the whole thing. I get down with that! I love when you do it right. One of my favorite moments in movie history was when Spike Lee did SCHOOL DAZE. He had good and bad hair… that whole musical segment of good and bad hair. You hadn’t seen a musical in years, and he did a segment right in the middle of that. A song, dance, music, people, stage, lighting… the whole thing! I said “That is HOT!” Spike knew it was hot. That’s me. I wanna do one of those. I would love to do that!

TYLER PERRY’S THE SINGLE MOMS CLUB is written, produced and directed by Tyler Perry. Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Studios Present, A Tyler Perry Studios/Lionsgate Production.

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