Actor Terry Crews is best known for his lovable giant persona and for being muscular — which he often uses to comedic effect. However, his motivation to get fit came from a dark place.
During an appearance on ‘Running Wild With Bear Grylls’ the ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ star explained that he decided to get stronger when he was five years old because of his abusive father.
“Growing up was not a good experience. My father was very abusive, you know, he used to beat my mother. And so, it was one of those things where I knew I would have to get stronger because one day I thought I’d have to fight him. That’s how it started out,” Crews was quoted as saying by Yahoo Entertainment.
Crews, 52, also opened up about he used comedy to lighten things up in his family.
“There was a lot of sadness, you know, with my father being an alcoholic, and it being so violent at home, and I remember just being able to make [my mother] laugh, and she would just crack up. I mean, her laugh just reverberated all the way through the house. And, uh, it’s one of the things that gives me the most satisfaction today is making people feel good,” he added.
The actor, who used to be an NFL player, has starred in comedies such as ‘White Chicks’ and in the action film franchise ‘The Expendables’. Crews went on to recount a violent confrontation his father in 2000 and why it didn’t bring him any peace.
“Bear, I beat this man,” Crews said. “I remember he was begging, begging, and all I could think of was, like, this is how my mother felt. How do you like it? And this is the thing, Bear. I thought it would feel good. And he’s on the ground, bleeding, crying, and I didn’t feel one bit better.”
Crews says he later forgave his father for past wrongdoings and they have reconciled. The actor has since advocated against toxic masculinity and domestic violence. He has even been a voice in the #MeToo movement, after telling his story about being groped by a male Hollywood executive.
